


kaname kuran X oc

by lunas_guard



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Supernatural Elements, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-10-05 22:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 62,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17333354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunas_guard/pseuds/lunas_guard
Summary: Mirei has arrived at cross academy, a school witch is home to both humans and vampires. What most don't know is that Mirei is not only a vampier but a pureblood, a vampier with no trace of human decent, She is attending the school as a member of the day class and is pretending to be human, however there is a mother pureblood at this prestigious  school, Kanama Kuran who is becoming suspicious.I don't own this nor have I been a part of its creation it but I do have consent to posit from OTAKU31 on quotve.com





	1. chapter 1

A/N Unfortunately I do not own the anime or manga Vampire Knight or the photos I use I only own my OC. I hope you enjoy this and also this is my first fan fiction/book I've written so I hope it's not too bad. I will try to update as often as I am able if this story becomes popular (which I doubt) but anyway please enjoy~

Name: Mirei Akiyama (but goes by Suzuki)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Long straight black, past waist, usually in pony-tail

Skin: pale

Race: Pureblood Vampire

Family: Mother (Deceased), Father (Deceased) 

A girl around 5 years old sat in a cold, dark room in the basement of a mansion. Her black hair was disheveled and her blue eyes, blank and expressionless. She wore a dirty white dress which was torn at the bottom. She had nothing but an old bed with worn sheets, a small set of draws, a lamp that produced little light and an old book. The door to the room creaked open and the girl lifted her head to see her mother walk into the room, the woman’s steely grey eyes, glaring down at the girl in disgust. 

“Here some food,” she threw a piece of stale bread at the girl. The child looked at it with disinterest, what she really craved was blood. It had been months since she had last drank some blood which made her weak and unable to heal as quickly. “Be grateful that we’re feeding you,” she approached the child like a predator. “You’re worthless... remember that.” After that the woman started to kick and punch the girl leaving her soaking her own blood. The woman left the child in that state and only glancing back to say, “Such a filthy child, you are no child of mine.” 

Mirei’s POV

I woke up panting and tears streaking down my cheeks. Another nightmare… I have them quite often. There was orange light shining through the now slightly cracked window and landing on the bed so I assumed it was around sunset. After I had calmed down I got up, took a shower and got dressed. I wore black skinny jeans with a navy shirt, black jacket with the hoodie pulled over half of my face and a slightly tattered red scarf. I was about to walk to Cross Academy, I wanted to attend Cross Academy because I was bored and thought it might entertain me for a while and I have heard many interesting rumours surrounding the mysterious academy. With that in mind I started walking towards the academy. It was only a 20 minute walk from my hotel room which I didn’t mind as I got to become familiar with the area. As I entered the grounds I noticed the presence of many other vampires and another pureblood, as it would probably create trouble for another pureblood to be here I decided to hide my presence as a vampire. As I was walking along the main path I was stopped by a girl with short brown hair and dark red eyes who was with a boy with silver hair and lilac eyes. I could sense that he was a level E but hadn’t reached the point of insanity yet.

“You must be Suzuki-san!” the girl said excitedly. “I’m Yuki Cross and this grumpy guy is Zero,” she pointed to Zero who stood beside her looking irritated. I nodded confirming who I was. “Follow us and we’ll take you to the Headmaster Kaien's office,” they both began walking down the path from which they came and I followed. I heard Yuki whispering to Zero. “Do you think she’s a vampire?” she seemed to have forgotten that if I was a vampire I could hear her, which I could. 

“The Headmaster says she’s joining the day class so she must be a human,” Zero replied to Yuki. ‘If the day class is for humans then I wonder which one Zero is in?’

We walked into a large building which I assumed housed the Headmaster’s office. Once we reached the doors of the office Yuki turned to me,

“Just a warning the headmaster is a little… eccentric,” she warned and opened the doors. Inside was a bespectacled man with long blonde hair sitting behind a desk that had a crack in the middle which had been repaired with sticky tape.

“Hello Suzuki-san, welcome to Cross Academy,” The headmaster seemed pretty serious to me… I wonder what Yuki meant by eccentric? “You will be staying in the Sun Dormitories at night and attending class during the day.” That seems pretty straight forward. “The night class stays in the Moon Dormitories and attends classes at night but you won’t have much contact with them and you are not to be outside after curfew,” the headmaster finished explaining the rules.

“Okay I understand.” 

“Good, Yuki could you show her to the Sun Dormitories please?” 

“Sure, Suzuki-san come with me,” Yuki lead me out the doors and to another building nearby. Inside was dark and there were not many students around as they were all getting ready for bed. We stopped outside a room that had the number 247 above it. 

“This is your room, tell me if you need anything my room is only three rooms to the left, by the way class starts at 8:30,” she walked off to her own room. I entered my room to see a single bed on the left side of the room, a large window in the centre of the far wall and a set a draws underneath the window. I dropped my bag on the floor and sat on my bed facing the window, I already knew I wasn’t going to be able to sleep and I did not want to get up in the morning but I knew I would have to.

~~~ Time Skip ~~~

Mirei’s POV

It was now around 8 in the morning and I had had a little sleep once it became light but had woken up again for class. I knew there was a uniform in the cupboard that was in the corner of the room but I didn’t want to wear it so I just made sure I looked decent and left my room. Outside were a few students rushing to leave as they realised they were late for class. I just left the dormitory and strolled around until I found my class. Once inside I noticed Yuki in the middle of the classroom and Zero asleep in the back right corner. The teacher noticed me and asked me to introduce myself. 

“I’m Mirei Suzuki, I’m 16 and… don’t piss me off,” I’m not actually 16 but vampires age more slowly than humans. I noticed that a few students seemed intimidated by me as I heard them gulp. I also heard a few male students talk saying I was beautiful and wondering if I had a boyfriend. Well obviously I look better than most humans, I’m a vampire. I decided to sit in the back corner in the opposite side to Zero. 

I heard the teacher settle the class down and start teaching again. The class was learning algebra which I had learnt ages ago so I just put my head on the desk and caught up on some lost sleep. But my precious sleep was interrupted by the teacher, 

“Suzuki-san what’s the answer?…. SUZUKI-SAN,” I looked up to see the teacher pointing to an equation on the board angrily. 

“x = 3 and y = 72 - 4x, are you happy now?” This seemed to anger the teacher more.

“Delighted, but would you please refrain from sleeping inside the classroom?” 

“So what you’re saying is I can sleep as long as I don’t sleep in the classroom… okay,” with that I got up and started to leave.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the teacher was at boiling point.

“To go find somewhere to sleep, obviously,” I didn’t give him a chance to react as I left the classroom. Now I was heading down a random corridor looking for hopefully somewhere shady to take a nap. I found a nice tree, climbed up and laid down with my back resting on the trunk. I drifted into a light sleep. 

I was awoken by the squeals of a group of girls who were beginning to crowd around a nearby gate which appeared to lead to the Moon Dormitories. So this must be when the night class students attend their classes. I wasn’t particularly interested but the squealing of the girls was starting to piss me off so I jumped down from the tree. As I was walking over I noticed Yuki trying to herd the now very large and noisy group of girls. I made my way through the girls who were fighting fiercely to try and stand in front of the gate. 

“Hey Yuki why are they so worked up? They’re pissing me off,” unfortunately I distracted Yuki for a second which meant she was stampeded over. The girls tried to push me away but I gave them an icy glare and they immediately backed away. Once they were all back in line Yuki replied,

“Didn’t I tell you this is the change over? It’s also the only time the day class and night class meet. So they get a little worked up,” she said still trying to fend off the students. “By the way why did you leav-“ she was cut off by the sound of the gate opening. “I’m too late again!” The screams became louder as a group of vampires walked through the gate and down the path wearing the same uniform but in white. I tried walking back into the crowd to get away but the crowd was pushing against me so I was stuck standing next to Yuki. I noticed Zero was now standing on the other side keeping the girls in line. Although he seemed to be able to make than stay in line by just a glare. Where as Yuki was struggling. She was trampled over by some crazy fangirls again but this time the pureblood came to help her up. I noticed he had brown hair that went down to the bottom of his neck and similar eyes to Yuki except his eyes I found especially captivating.

“Yuki is everything alright?” both Zero and a vampire with long pale hair became visibly angered by Kaname helping Yuki. 

“I-I’m fine, Kaname,” she then quickly stood up, “that’s what the disciplinary committee does." Kaname seemed amused at her reaction. “Sorry about that…” her eyes trailed off until she met my gaze, “this is Suzuki-san our new student in the day class,” she used me as an excuse to break the awkwardness. 

“Nice to meet you Suzuki-san,” Kaname seemed a little suspicious of me, it’s hard to hide my presence around another pureblood. 

“Same here,” I tried to keep the conversation brief.

“Oh yeah! Suzuki-san why did you skip class earlier!?” Yuki seemed a bit annoyed.

“I thought I made it pretty clear I wanted to sleep…”

“You can’t just skip class to go and sleep! And as a member of the disciplinary committee I had to try and find you!…. also why aren’t you wearing your uniform!?” she was going to continue lecturing me if she hadn’t realised that Kaname and the rest of the night class were still there. “Ahh… sorry you can continue to class… bye Kaname.”

“Goodbye Yuki…. Suzuki-san,” Kaname left still looking slightly amused at Yuki’s antics. Yuki then left to lecture (punch) Zero about being late so I took the opportunity to sneak away. Now that I was alone in the forest part of the school free from the squeals of fangirls it felt much more peaceful. I figured I would stay outside for most of the night seeing as I wouldn’t be able to get to sleep anyway.

The sky quickly grew dark and I continued to stroll around making sure to stay out of sight of the disciplinary committee and the night class. I was gazing up at the red moon from the roof of a building when I heard a commotion from down below. There were two day class students wandering around trying to take pictures of the night class. Yuki then jumped off a nearby building, swinging off a tree and landing safely on the ground. I noticed she grazed her hand probably from the tree and as well as one of the day class girls who hurt her knee. This will cause trouble... how entertaining. A blonde vampire and another with orange hair approached the girls and Yuki and I saw her bring out her anti-vampire weapon artemis which she then proceeded to swing at the orange-haired one who caught it with no difficulty. 

"How scary," he said teasingly.

“Kyaa~ it’s Hanabusa Aidou and Kain Akatsuki from the night class!” even from here I can here their squealing, it’s so annoying. I decided to jump off the roof and land in a tree closer to the scene to find a good place to view the scene playing out in front of me. ‘How entertaining.’

The blonde one which I found out was Hanabusa pulled Yuki and bit into her hand causing the other two girls to realise he is a vampire, he then tried to bite Yuki's neck but was stopped by Zero who parted the two. 

"Drinking blood on school grounds is strictly prohibited," Zero told Hanabusa, venom dripping from his voice. He then attempted to shoot Hanabusa but Yuki lifted the gun while scolding Zero. 

'This really is entertaining… never mind here comes Kaname to be a party pooper.' Kaname then continued to apologise to Yuki and deal with the other two vampires and the students.

Bored I was about to leave when I heard Kaname call out to me,“Suzuki-san you will also come with me as you also failed to stop Hanabusa,” Kaname looked directly at me clearly aware of where I had been hiding. With a sigh I hopped down from the tree with ease, landed on my feet and began to approach him. He still thinks I’m human right? Does he seriously think a human could stop a vampire? Or is he using this as an excuse to talk to me as he is suspicious of me?

“And what if I say no?” I wanted to annoy him off a bit, just to see his reaction. Unfortunately he didn’t give away much emotion.

“You will come with me or you will be given a punishment from the headmaster,” Kaname informed me. 

“How scary~” I was starting to irritate him a little now, he gave me a stern look and I gave up at annoying him… for now. I began following him back to the Moon Dormitories where once inside I noticed that there was no one as the rest of the night class were probably still in class. We walked up some stairs that lead to a hallway with rooms, we stopped at the very end which I assumed was Kaname’s room.

I entered last after Hanabusa, Akatsuki and Kaname. Kaname sat behind a desk, Hanabusa and Akatsuki stood in front of him looking awkward and slightly nervous. 

“Hanabusa, you have broken several rules and you are never to do this again or you will be punished even more severely, you are suspended for 10 days,” Hanabusa squirmed under Kaname’s glare. “You too Akatsuki although you are not suspended you did not stop Hanabusa so you are equally to blame, now the two of you will go back to class so that I can speak will Suzuki-san.” They both left as quickly as possible closing the door behind them. “Now Suzuki-san I believe you have some explaining to do, most humans would not be so calm after they see a vampire,” Kaname looked at me expectantly. 

“Oh but I think it would be so much more fun to make you work for the answers,” he smiled at this but his eyes said that he was obviously agitated.

“You are obviously not an ordinary human and I doubt you are a hunter, you don’t seem to be carrying any anti-vampire weapons on you.” 

“How do you know? Have you been watching me that closely?… I didn't know you felt that way about me Ka-na-me-kun~,” I wore a smirk as I watched him become irritated with my less than straight forward answers. 

“I will figure out what you are later but for now would you please refrain from troubling Yuki any further, your rule breaking is causing her to miss out on classes,” he warned me.

“But that’s no fun, next time I skip class I’ll just tell her not to bother chasing after me, how does that sound?” He did not look pleased, “well I’m off.”

“Remember don’t cause anymore trouble,” he warned again as I opened the door. 

“No promises~” I closed the door and made my way out of the Moon Dormitories and walked to my own. Once in my room I got in my pyjamas as it was close to dawn and I would be able to get a little bit of sleep.


	2. chapter 2

Bold means it's spoken in English rather than Japanese

Mirei’s POV

I woke up at 10:30 still sleep deprived I put on a similar outfit to what I wore the day before just in different colours. I brushed my hair and pulled the hood up, I then walked into the ensuite bathroom got out a blood tablet and dropped it into a glass of water. I hate having to live off of these but I can’t exactly go around biting people at the school. I drank the glass, brushed my teeth and left my room, in the hallway there were absolutely no people which is when I realised I was over an hour late for class oops… well I did say no promises.

I strolled into my class to see everybody sat in the same place as they were in the day before so I proceeded to sit in the back corner.

“Suzuki-san would you please explain why you are 2 hours and” the teacher looked at his watch, “37 minutes late?”

“Who would want to wake up at such an absurd hour?” I responded matter-of-factly. That pissed him off, I could tell this teacher and I are not going to get along.

“Well you can make up for the time lost in detention!” he seemed to think he had won so he went back to teaching the class. I have no intention of attending detention. Class continued until lunch with me falling asleep and the teacher scolding me and giving me maths problems which I would then answer with a smart-ass comment. I was so relieved when I heard the lunch bell. I stood up to leave but waited for the rest of the class to file out, Yuki came and approached me with her friend trailing behind.

“I wish you and Zero wouldn’t make so much trouble… could you please try to get to class on time tomorrow?” Yuki looked at me pleadingly.

“Sorry but I’m not waking up that early, I don’t care what you say,” I walked past Yuki and left the classroom to go find somewhere to skip the rest of my classes for the day. I actually haven’t made as much trouble as I could… maybe I should graffiti a classroom or something, that would definitely be interesting.

I was lying under the shade of a tree when I sensed Kaname walking towards me. I opened one eye to see him standing in front of me partially blocking out the sun. ”Shit it’s bright, could you move a little to your left?” I questioned him which he surprisingly did. “Thank you… to what do I owe this visit?”

He glared at me slightly because of my attitude, “I believe I warned you not to cause trouble for Yuki and you are currently skipping class.”

“I did say no promises,” I had a smirk plastered on my face.

“I would strongly advise that you stop being such a nuisance or I will have to intervene further, and trust me you don’t want that.”

“Was that a threat?”

“No, simply some advice that I suggest you follow.”

“Whatever could you go I’m losing precious sleep.”

“Do you not sleep well?”

“What’s this, are you showing concern for me?~” I teased him a little.

“No, simply just wanted to know how you could possibly be tired as you have already slept for most of the day."

“What are you a stalker?” He intensified his glare, turned around and walked off. How I love irritating him, I thought whilst smirking.

After my little encounter with Kaname I found it hard to fall back asleep so I went for a little stroll and ended up at the change over from day class to night class. 'Why did I come here?' I found myself growing more irritated the closer I got to the squealing of the desperate fan-girls. I noticed Yuki was struggling even more today as Zero was nowhere to be seen. I heard the gates start to open and the night class walked out all not giving a second glance to the day class except for Hanabusa who was shouting out flirty remarks. "Tch, what an obnoxious idiot." I heard a girl nearby me let out a gasp at my comment, seemingly offended and began whispering to her friends about what I had just said. 'Honestly, do these girls have nothing better to do with their lives?'

I quickly grew bored so I wandered back to the dorms as I had nothing to do and I didn't feel like dealing with Kaname or Yuki tonight. Once in my room I read two books and ate 3 boxes of pocky while waiting for the sun to rise to I could get some sleep for a couple of hours before class. I finally fell asleep around 5:00am.

\------ Dreaming/Flashback ------

A 6-year-old girl who was pale and underweight crept silently through the dark, snowy forest in nothing but a worn navy dress and tattered red scarf. The girl shivered as her bare feet made contact with the frozen ground. But she ignored the cold and continued, deeper into the forest as she had someone she had to see. The girl eventually reached a small clearing and standing in the middle was another child only a year older than the girl. The older girl had short light-brown hair and honey coloured eyes. (The girl in the photo above) She wore much more appropriate clothes for Winter, a yellow jacket, tights, gloves and boots. The older girl turned and smiled to her younger friend,

"Oh Mi-chan! You made it," the girl ran up to Mirei and engulfed her in a warm hug.

"It's been a while Hina-chan..." Mirei smiled faintly as they walked to a log in the middle of the clearing where they would often sit when they met which, was becoming less frequent.

"You must be so cold!" Hina attempted to take off her jacket to give it to Mirei but was stopped.

"It's fine, I don't mind the cold besides, I have this scarf which you gave to me last time, I couldn't accept more than this."

*Sigh* "Honestly you're so stubborn Mi-chan."

The girls continued to converse for quite some time, they parted ways as the sun began peek above the horizon as usual. "Bye Mi-chan! See you in two weeks! And next time don't be late!" Hina waved as they started walking in opposite directions.

"See you, Hina-chan" Mirei turned to face the direction she came and began the dreaded walk "home" unfortunately this was the last time the two friends would meet and converse happily like they did that night.

I awoke feeling a sense of nostalgia wash over me, I noticed that the Sun was peeking through a gap in the curtains which meant I had been asleep for at least a couple of hours. I lethargically got out of bed and checked the time, 9:00. That means class started... 30 minutes ago. Oh well I don't really feel like attending class now anyway, I'm in a bit of a sour mood and I'm starting to get hungry with blood tablets being my only useful source of nutrition. I had a shower,got dressed into some fresh clothes which still wasn't the school uniform, brushed my hair, teeth and took a blood tablet although it did little to subdue my growing hunger. I left my room at 9:45 and headed to my first class which was English which, thankfully I spoke fluently.

I arrive in my class and was met with the stares of my class and the teacher had an angered expression on her face. This teacher was a woman around 50 whose brown hair was greying and she wore thick glasses with a chain.

"Suzuki-san I'm assuming, would you care to explain why you're late?" the lady looked at me expectantly. "In English if you will," she added in smirking like she had beaten me at something.

**"I'm late because I couldn't be bothered attending a class I don't really need in the first place, as you can see I speak fluent English so you can wipe that smirk off your ugly face,"** I finished leaving the teacher with a horrified expression on her face. The rest of the class were watching us curiously, obviously not following the conversation.

"Why you insolent- ahem," she stopped herself," I will have to ask you to refrain from insulting me and speaking to me so informally in the future."

"Hmmm... let me think about that... no."

"Are you listening to me?" she said in an icy tone.

"Can I sit down now? Cause it's really tiring just standing here." 'I'm seriously over this teacher.'

**"You little brat!"** she had clearly run out of patience.

**"Bitch what did you call me?"** my mood was starting to deteriorate at a remarkable rate.

**"Do not insult me!"** she yelled.

**"Listen here, it was you who called me a brat so don't go getting on your high horse-"**

"That's it! Go see the headmaster! I don't want someone like you in my class!" she cut me off, making wild hand gestures as she spoke.

"Tch whatever, at least the headmaster will be more interesting than this class," with that I left the classroom. I decided it was best to actually go to the headmaster's office otherwise he would send Yuki to follow me around and that would be way too irritating.

I arrived at the headmaster's office a little while later as I decided to prolong the time between the classroom and having to talk with him.

As I went to open the large door, it swung open before I had the chance and Kaname stepped out of the office and looked directly at me.

"I thought I told you to stay out of trouble Suzuki-san," he said with little emotion but I could tell he was annoyed by his eyes.

"Why do you just assume I'm here because I did something wrong? Maybe the headmaster thinks I'm an excellent student who is a role model to others," I said sarcastically to which Kaname only sighed.

"I seriously doubt that," he said coldly.

"So mean~ Kaname-kun~" before Kaname could reply the headmaster walked out of his office.

"Suzuki-san, we need to have a serious talk you're behaviour is unacceptable," he ushered me into his office. Kaname left and closed the door behind him leaving the headmaster and I.


	3. chapter 3

Mirei's POV

The Headmaster sat behind his desk while I stood opposite in a tense silence, only the tapping of the Headmaster's pen on the table could be heard in the room. Eventually, after what felt like millennia the Headmaster made eye contact with me and proceeded to speak, 

"Suzuki-san what you did in English is inexcusable, therefore you have two options, one you are suspended for three weeks, give a full apology to Kaede-sensei and have detention for the next four months or..." he started to smile as he moved on to his second point which, was kind of creeping me out. "You can become a member of the disciplinary committee!" he cheerfully finished off doing a complete 180 from his previous attitude which took me a little by surprise. 

"T-The disciplinary committee!? Why would you want me to join that?" I asked in bewilderment. 

"Well to put it simply, it's so I can have Yuki and Zero keep an eye on you! We don't need you causing any more trouble now do we?~" He said rather giddily. "Although..." in less than a second he went back to his original serious tone, "the real reason we need to keep an eye on you is because, as Kaname has informed me, you are aware that the Night Class are vampires which could cause some serious issues for my vision of this school.

"I see so you want to make sure I don't go running my mouth to anyone," I understood his reasoning but that doesn't mean I'm willing to be a part of the disciplinary committee. 'Although it would seriously damage my pride to apologise to that teacher...'

Still in a serious mood the headmaster continued, "You see, I have a vision that vampires and humans will coexist! that is why I set up this school," he kept rambling for a while and I just tuned it out, concentrating on a swallow which had landed on a tree branch outside the window. "Suzuki-san, are you listening?" I was brought back to reality.

"Of course," I said confidently although I had not heard a word.

The headmaster's mood returned to cheerful, "Well in that case, I'm ecstatic to have you as the new member of the disciplinary committee!" 

"Huh! When did I agree to that!?"

"Just then when you weren't listening... I asked if you had any objections and you didn't answer, so naturally I assumed that you have accepted the role!" He said sounding like a child. 'But he's right I wasn't listening so he's got me there... and it might no be so bad being part of the disciplinary committee, it means I get to roam around freely at night.' 

"I guess I don't have a problem with being part of your club or whatever..." 

"It's the disciplinary committee!" he corrected. "And you start this afternoon," he handed me a sash with the school's symbol to put around my arm. It seems like he has been planning this for a while. "I will tell Zero and Yuki that you are now a member so just meet up with them at the change over, also be careful because today is St Xocolatl's Day and the girls will be more rowdy than usual."

"Alright," I turned around and walked out of the headmaster's office. As I was walking I noticed there were a lot of day students around meaning it was probably lunch. I pulled out a box of pocky and began to munch on some as I walked to find somewhere shady to sit. As I walked through the corridors I heard excited fangirls talking about who they were going to give their handmade chocolates to. 'What a waste of time.'

\------- Timeskip to last class ------

I was now sitting in History which was taught by an extremely boring teacher who looked like he was old enough to be my great-great-grandfather. His monotonous voice was lulling the whole class to sleep, including me. At least he didn't call on anyone to answer questions. Finally the old man dismissed the class and everyone gathered their books and rushed out of the classroom as soon as possible only leaving Zero, Yuki, a girl with short hair who seemed to be Yuki's friend and I. 

Once Yuki had finished gathering her books she marched over to where I was sitting with a large smile stretched across her face. "Hi there Suzuki-san, the headmaster told me you've joined the disciplinary committee!" she said cheerfully. "I'm so excited you decided to join us, now I'm not stuck with Zero," she finished. 'She makes it sound as though I had a choice.'

"Sure," I sighed and stood up, ready to leave. Yuki said goodbye to her friend and started walking so I followed her outside to the change over. I noticed that today the girls were lined up at gates holding brightly coloured boxes which most likely housed chocolates. The night class students all stood outside the gate ready to receive chocolates. Yuki stood in the middle and explained the rules to both classes, she then blew a whistle and yelled start. The night class then moved to their allocated gates which each had a sign with their name above. 

The day class students gave their chocolates to the mostly unappreciative night class except Aidou who was overjoyed to be receiving gifts. Although most to the night class were not interested in the chocolates they still accepted them politely. It was much louder than usual which annoyed me and made me want to run away to somewhere peaceful. I heard Yuki scolding Aidou for asking an unsuspecting girl's blood type and I noticed three day class girls were trying to push in line so I gave them an intense glare, the girls then stopped pushing and shoving immediately, with a look of pure terror on their faces. 'I don't think I'm that scary.’

Yuki seemed to be fidgeting and nervously gripping a box inside her pocket, which supposedly contained chocolates. I crept up behind her, “You know you should just give them to him.”

“S-Suzuki-san! You scared me!” 

Suddenly some day class girls trampled over Yuki as I dodged them by jumping to the side. Her box of chocolates flew through the air landing on the ground by Zero’s feet. 

“Kuran-senpai,” he threw the box that Kaname caught, “you dropped that.” 

“Zero!” Yuki scolded still surprised. 

“I accept it, thank you Yuki,” Kaname said before turning and walking away.

Yuki turned to Zero punching him violently, “Why did you go and give it to him without permission!? You knew I’d get mad!”

“Just watching you annoyed me! I thought, why won’t she just give it to him?"

Yuki stopped punching Zero, “he might have been irritated to receive chocolates from me,” she said gazing to the side. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

I smiled, leaning against a tree, enjoying their antics.Yuki seemed to be lost in thought and I noticed Zero watching the back of Yuki’s neck. He quickly turned and walked into the forest to avoid his oncoming attack. ‘He won’t be able to control himself for much longer.’

“We should head out on patrol now! Oh…” Yuki turned around clearly not aware Zero had already left. She turned to me, “looks like it’s just us!” A smile decorated her face pretending she didn’t care Zero had run off.

Yuki and I patrolled the grounds and as the day quickly turned to night. “Is Zero ditching again?” Yuki asked mostly to herself. I shrugged anyway and put my hands behind my head lazily. A little time had passed when I sensed the presence of students of the night class and Zero nearby. I used my enhanced hearing to eavesdrop. 

“Are we really doing this?” a female asked.

“Ichijou-san opposed it,” someone else added. 

I recognised Akatsuki’s voice, “That’s right. Hanabusa. Ruka.” He paused, “You’ll be scolded if Dorm President Kuran finds out about this, Kiryu you should put that-“

I then heard what sounded like a body hitting the ground. “Yuki, Zero’s in trouble,” I turned to Yuki to see her pulling out Artimis and running in the direction of Zero with me following behind. 

I watched Yuki jump between Zero and the night class landing in a kneeling position, I decided to watch from the shadows. “Stop right there!” Yuki shouted, “fighting is prohibited, It’s written in the student handbook, remember?”

“She stood up, “If you insist on continuing this, then I, as a prefect will be your opponent!” she told them surprising Zero who was holding his Bloody Rose towards the vampires.

“You ruined it,” Akatsuki commented as he let the leaves that he had lit on fire stop burning.

“Guess so,” Aidou whined.

“Yeah. I’m not in the mood now,” Ruka followed. “Lets go back to class,” she started walking away while the others followed her lead. 

Yuki turned to Zero, “What do you think you were doing?” she said mostly out of worry, “It’s not like you to do something like this-“ she stopped once she saw the fierce look in Zero’s violet eyes. “Zero!” she tried to grab his arm but he shook her off. 

“Leave me alone." 

I watched Yuki walk in the opposite direction to Zero, I silently followed until she reached a bridge where she stopped and watched the water flow under the bridge. She looked deep in thought with her eyes cast downwards and her hands gripped the railing. 

"You know that expression doesn't suit you," I placed a hand on Yuki's shoulder. 

"O-Oh Suzuki-san I didn't see you there," she plastered a fake smile on her face and scratched the back of her head nervously. 

I sighed, "I know you're concerned about Zero but you don't need to hide it... at least- I guess," I stumbled a little I'm not good at this mushy, emotional stuff. "What I'm trying to say is you don't have to pretend around me," I said looking her in the eyes this time more confidently. 

"Thank you, Suzuki-san" she looked back at the water, "I just feel like every time I get closer to Zero he puts up those barriers around his heart and won't let anyone in... and lately he's been acting strangely." Her grip on the railing tightened, "I want to talk to him about it but I don't know how," she turned to me, " I know he's hurting but I just wish he would let me in," she was on the brink of tears, I could see them pooling in the corners of her eyes but still managed to hold them back. 

I felt pang of emotion in my heart which I hadn't felt in a while, empathy and compassion. I admired her trying her best to be strong for those she cared. 

"Why don't you keep tell him how much you care for him and showing him you're there to help him... maybe not right away but eventually he might slowly start to let down those barriers around his heart."

I could tell Yuki was thinking and letting what I said sink in, I turned to leave, "Oh and Yuki-san, Call me Mirei." I smiled, a genuine smile while walking away. 'I hope she is able to become closer to Zero but I wonder how long Zero can maintain his sanity before he breaks and kills someone?'


	4. chapter 4

Mirei's POV

I was woken at some ungodly hour of the morning by rapid knocking at the door to my room. I unjumbled myself from the blankets and stomped to the door, ready to maul whoever had woken me. I threw the door open to see Yuki standing there with a huge grin on her face.

"Good Morning Mirei-San!" She said cheerily. 'Of course she is the the only one who could be so jolly at such an absurd hour.' I gave her a quick glare but nodded for her to continue, "The Headmaster has invited us to breakfast so I came to get you."

"Give me a minute," I slammed the door shut and got dressed, brushed my teeth, brushed my hair etc. I reopened the door 10 minutes later to see Yuki still waiting for me.

She looked at my outfit which still wasn't the schools uniform, "Mirei-san you really should wear the school uniform, you're a member of the disciplinary committee now."

"It looks uncomfortable," I shrugged and walked past Yuki. I heard her sigh but she dropped the subject and walked beside me.

 

\-------Small Time Skip -------

Headmaster Kaien presented his extravagant food to us, wearing a frilly apron. I sat at the table beside Yuki and opposite Zero. He set the food down in front of us and I grabbed my chopsticks and started eating.

"I was wondering why we were called over so early in the morning..." Zero grumbled obviously not pleased to be awake so early. 

Headmaster Kaien stood in front of the table watching us proudly. "Say cheese!" He held up a camera as Yuki smiled, Zero held food up to block his face and I glared at the camera.

"Why you... What the hell do you think you're doing all of a sudden!?" Zero yelled at the headmaster, still holding his food with his chopsticks. 

Headmaster Kaien ignored Zero's harsh tone and answered, "Taking a commemorative photograph, because today is the day the three of you will forget about your responsibilities as Guardians, and instead carry out the rightful duties of the Disciplinary Committee," he finished smiling. 

"What!?" Zero and Yuri said in unison while I continued eating my breakfast.

The polaroid picture printed and the Headmaster pouted at the result but decided to let it slide and instead turned to me. 

"Suzuki-san why are you not wearing your uniform?"

"It's uncomfortable," I stated like it was obvious.

Headmaster Kaien's tone became more serious, "You're a part of the disciplinary committee now, which means you have to set an example for the other students."

"I am setting an example, I'm showing them what not to do."

"Suzuki-san please take this seriously, at least for today." 

"What's happening today?" Yuki joined the conversation.

"Today you will being inspecting the dorms," the headmaster explained. "So you will have to wear a uniform at least for today," he said turning back to me.

I sighed, "fine... but I refuse to wear a skirt ."

"You can just wear the boys uniform~" the headmaster said returning to his cheerful mood.

\- - - - - Meanwhile in the Moon Dorm - - - - -

Hanabusa's POV 

"A dorm inspection?" I asked. The Night Class were all gathered around some couches in the common area of the Moon Dorm. 

"Thank you Seiren," I heard Kaname-sama say.

"Seriously?" This time Ruka was expressing her annoyance. "The Headmaster's decisions are always so unpredictable."

"Fine by me, I've got nothing to hide," Senri piped up. 

"That's right," Ichijou added whilst sipping on tea, sitting on the couch opposite me. "The true nature of a person can only be seen when one is caught off-guard."

Senri turned to look at Ichijou, "Ichijou-san, your underwear is still lying on the floor, right?" 

Ichijou only laughed at this and I swear I saw sparkles around him! "It's okay, It is made of the finest silk and was sewn by a master tailor." I yawned as he finished, "It's underwear I can proudly show to anyone."

"I don't think that's the problem," Ruka added.

"Do you have a minute, Hanabusa?" Akatsuki asked quietly. 'This is rare, I wonder what he wants?' 

Akatsuki lead us to our shared room. "What is it Akatsuki? I'm really sleepy." Suddenly Akatsuki put his arms either side of my face, trapping me between him and the wall. 

"Hanabusa, I'm not trying to be mean..." He started, "but you've got to throw those away," he said in a menacing voice. 

"Those?" I asked, confused. He shifted his gaze to my precious collection. 

"It's quite mind-boggling to see all this junk collected into one place. 'Junk!?' 

"What do you mean by junk!?" I yelled with my hands on my hips. "This is my prized collection of stuff Dorm President Kuran destroyed with his amazing power!"

"Even this used fork?" He asked picking up a bent fork. "Hanabusa, what if the Dorm President found out about this?"

I ran and snatched the fork out of his hands, "I'm collecting these out of respect and admiration!" I paused, "Ah! Don't tell me you have your eyes on them!?" I accused. "You're not getting-" I cut myself off and froze as I saw Kaname-sama standing in the doorway. "D-Dorm President Kuran?" I could tell he was annoyed.

"Aidou, I would like to speak with you regarding the invasion of privacy rules," he said with a faint smile which just made it scarier. 

I started backing away, "N-No, you've got it all wrong Dorm President Kuran." The smile faded off his face as the small chandelier above our heads broke. 'Amazing!' I quickly got down to my knees and started collecting the pieces. "More treasures for me?" I said in absolute bliss. But I was quickly brought back to reality when I remembered Kaname-sama was still standing there. Akatsuki took the opportunity to abandon me by leaving the room. 'Oh no.' 

"OWWW!!!" My screaming echoed throughout the Moon Dorm. 

\- - - - - The Sun Dorm - - - - -

Mirei's POV 

"I'm confiscating these," Yuki added another book of photographs to the trolley she was wheeling around. We had confiscated so many photos of the Night Class now I gave up on counting. 

"What's the problem? They'he only photographs," a girl, presumably the owner of the photographs whined. 

"But they were taken secretly right? That's a huge problem," Yuki informed the girl. 

"Cross-san you baka!" The girl ran off crying. 

"Honestly how pathetic," I said referring to all the students we had confiscated photos off of. 

"That's right, Cross-san," a boy with brown hair and glasses said hiding behind a pillar. "You couldn't possibly understand our feelings." 

"President!?" Yuki said surprised, looking at him.

He marched towards Yuki, "You abuse your authority as a member of the Disciplinary Committee!" He said pointing a finger at her. "In order to both befriend and become closer to the Night Class students!" This time he looked at me. 

"We do nothing of the sort," I said glaring daggers at him. He made a scared squeak at jumped back a little, much to my enjoyment. 

Zero walked up behind him and snatched a book the president was hiding behind his back. "I'm confiscating this," Zero said while dropping a book that had 'Luka' written on it into the trolley. 

"That's how it is," Yuki said while wheeling the trolley away with a smile. 

"Y-You brutes!" He yelled at us as we walked away. 

The rest of the inspection in the Sun Dorm was the same, confiscating photos and being called names. By the end we had collected a huge bag full of confiscated items. 

Yuki left to deal with the confiscated items while Zero went to lie under a tree. I followed, making sure to stay out of sight of him. 

I watched Zero gaze up at the canopy of the trees, to be honest I kind of felt like a creep for following him. I watched him clutch his neck and pull out a small box of blood tablets. 

I left my hiding place and stood in front of him, "How pitiful, how long can you control yourself? Soon you'll lose your sanity and turn into one of them... a Level E, and those blood tablets won't stop that from happening."

He glared up at me, rage filled his eyes, "What is your point?" He said getting up. 

I sighed, "You may think that your protecting Yuki by staying by her side but, the one who will hurt her the most... is you." I saw fear flash through his eyes but it was soon replaced with anger. 

"Who are you to-" he was cut short by Yuki approaching. 

"Zero! Why are you always slacking off!?" She reached the tree we were standing beneath. Zero quickly hid the blood tablets in his shirt pocket but I know that Yuki noticed. "You're here too Mirei-san?" I nodded. 

"I'm done already," Zero said while stalking off. Yuki's face saddened but she quickly covered it up with a smile.

"Come on Mirei-san, we still need to inspect the Moon Dormitories, she said following Zero and ushering me along. 

By the time we reached the Moon Dorm it was nearing sunset. We reached a gate where an old man sat, "um w-we are-" Yuki started nervously.

"The Disciplinary Committee right?" The old man interrupted. "Go ahead."

As we approached the Moon Dorm I could see the back of Kaname through a window. As we reached the steps Yuki turned to Zero, "Ah! That's right, before we inspect the Moon Dormitory, take out whatever it was stuck in your pocket." 

Zero had a look of surprise then looked away, not planning to give her what was hidden in his pocket. 

"You're hiding something right, as a member of the disciplinary committee, you shouldn't be breaking school rules!" She scolded. She went to keep talking but slipped on the step and began to fall forwards, Zero reached out and broke her fall as she landed on top of him on the ground. 

I watched Yuki grab the blood tablets out of his pocket while still sitting on him, "I got it! Is this... medication?" She didn't get a chance to figure it out as Zero swiped it from her hands and stood up. 

"It's none of your business," he said as he walked out the gates. 

"Zero! Where are you going!?" She started to run after him but looked back at me, "U-um sorry Mirei-san could you please finish the inspection without me?" She didn't wait for a response as she ran out the gates after Zero. 

"Great... Just great," I sighed and walked to the front door of the Moon Dorm and knocked twice. 

The door was opened by a pale blonde with green eyes who had a gentle smile on his face and I swear I could see sparkles, I put that down to tiredness. 

"Hello Suzuki-san, welcome to the Moon Dorm, I'm Ichijou," he opened the door further and let me in. There were a couple of Night Class students scattered around the common area.

"Listen, I don't want to be here so just show me the rooms and I'll be on my way."

"Okay," Ichijou responded, his smile not faltering. He led me up so stairs to a hallway with a room every 10 metres or so. At the end of the hallway was Kaname who was leaning gracefully against a large window. I walked, stopping in front of him. 

"I will be supervising the inspection," Kaname stated. 

"Whatever," I wasn't in the mood to mess with him. We checked the first couple of rooms which seemed to be fine, we reached a room which I could hear quiet muttering coming from. I swung the door open to find Hanabusa curled up in the corner of the room, clutching a cracked wine glass. (Like Gollum lol)

"I saved one last precious treasure, they won't find you," he said I think, addressing the wine glass. 'Cab he get any more weird?' I coughed to get him attention, he jumped almost dropping the glass, "Ah! D-Dorm President Kuran!" He then looked at me, "Mirei-cha-" he stopped short as he saw my glare, "Suzuki-san," he corrected himself. 

"What on Earth is that your holding?" I demanded an answer. 

"I-It's not what it looks like-" 

Kaname cut him off, "It's an invasion of privacy." He has a shadow covering his eyes.

"I see," I held out my hand to Hanabusa to give me the glass. 

"B-But," he saw the look in my eyes and immediately handed it over. I grabbed the glass still confused at how a cracked wine glass was an invasion of privacy but I was too tired to argue. 

I turned to Kaname, "I thought the Day Class were bad..." He sighed as Seiren entered the room and took the glass from me, probably to dispose of it. "Anymore rooms to check?" I asked, hoping it was over but Kaname didn't answer, he was distracted. I was about to ask what was wrong but then I smelt it, Yuki's blood. 'That can't be good.'

Within seconds Kaname had teleported to where the sweet smell was coming from. I shrugged slightly relieved, "I guess that is the end of the inspection."


	5. chapter 5

Mirei's POV 

After the inspection was cut short I headed back to the Sun Dorm. I arrived back in my room and practically jumped onto my bed. I let out a sigh, the smell of blood earlier was making me hungry, not overwhelming but the feeling was definitely present. 

I decided to get out of the uniform that hopefully, I will never have to wear again and got into the shower. I enjoyed the feeling of the warm water pelting my back, it cleared my mind. As I put my head under the water a memory surfaced which, I had tried to forget. 

\- - - - - Flashback - - - - - 

A little girl trekked through the snow covered forest, her small feet barely making a sound, the red scarf wrapped tightly around her neck stood out against the dark forest. A small smile adorned her petite face as she made her way to a familiar clearing. A honey eyed girl sat on a log in the middle, waiting patiently for her friend to arrive. 

"Hina-chan," the younger girl addressed the latter. 

"There you are! I was beginning to think you forgot about me," Hina pouted. 

The younger child giggled at her friend causing clouds of mist which disappeared into the cold night air. She trotted up to Hina and sat down beside her close friend. 

"Guess what Mi-chan, I have something for you," Hina said giddily whilst reaching into the pocket of her thick coat. Mirei could not shake the excitement she felt to receive her gift. 

Hina pulled out two identical hairpins and placed them on the palm of her outstretched hand, both were beautiful, small, pale pink and white frangipanis. (The image at the top)

"They're beautiful," Mirei said breathlessly admiring the delicate flowers. 

"It goes here..." Hina grabbed one of the the hairpins and placed in Mirei's hair. She then placed the other in her own hair and faced Mirei again. "See we match!" Hina grinned, "Happy Birthday Mi-chan."

Mirei stared, in utter surprise for a few seconds and without realising it she had started to cry. 

"M-Mi-chan why are you crying? I'm sorry if I made you upset," Hina started to panic thinking she had hurt her friend. 

Mirei shook her head and grinned back at Hina, "I'm not upset, these are tears of joy," Mirei brought Hina into a tight hug, "thank you Hina-chan," she whispered. 

Their moment was short lived as Mirei let out a scared squeak at the sight of her enraged mother standing mere metres away from where the two friends sat. 

"You hideous child, how dare you associate with their kind!" She shouted referring to Hina. 

Her mother stalked over to the the two girls who were quaking with fear, still holding each other. She ripped Mirei away from Hina and threw her to the ground, giving her several sharp kicks to the side, a cracking sound was heard as a rib broke. Mirei screamed out in agony but her mother showed no mercy. 

"You are a disappointment! Sneaking away to see this scum!" She spat at her daughter, her voice laced with venom. Her eyes were now glowing an unnatural, crimson red. 

Hina's eyes widened in fear as Mirei's mother stalked forwards and grabbed Hina by the throat, lifting her feet from the ground. "You vile human!" She heard her mother screech.

"M-Mummy please don't hur-" Mirei desperately struggled to get to her feet. 

"Shut up child! You will thank me later!"

Hina was being slowly strangled to death by her mother and Mirei felt helpless, she hated this feeling, she just wanted it to stop, she wanted it all to stop! 

Suddenly she felt a tremendous amount of power surge through her body, Mirei raised herself off the ground, her eyes now glowing the same crimson as her mother's. 

"Let. Her. Go." This caught the attention of her mother who turned to look at her daughter. A look of surprise crossed her mother's face but it was soon replaced with resentment. 

Mirei could feel the power coursing through her veins, "I said let her go!" Mirei screamed, squeezing her eyes shut and let her anger take control. 

When Mirei reopened her eyes she saw the once crisp white snow had now been splatted with fresh blood, her mother's blood. She turned to her left only to be greeted with the lifeless body of her mother with a large gaping hole in her chest where the heart should be.

Scared and trembling, Mirei fell to her knees not quite comprehending what she had done. She raised a shaking hand to see that it, like everything else was covered in bright red blood. 

She was brought out of her daze when she heard whimpering nearby. She whipped her head to the right to see Hina hugging her legs protectively whilst sobbing into her knees. 

Mirei stumbled over to her friend, relieved she had not killed her only friend. She squatted just in front of Hina with her hand outstretched. "Hina-chan I-" her hand was smacked away forcefully. 

Hina shuffled backwards trying to escape her once precious friend, dread and pure fear filled her once cheerful eyes. Mirei noticed blood had been splatted on Hina's cheek. Mirei tried to approach again but stopped as soon as she heard the words Hina had uttered. 

"R-Red eyes..." she pointed at Mirei, paralyzed with fear, "m-m-monster." With that one word Mirei knew she had lost the one person who cared for her.

Tears streaked Mirei's cheeks as she raised from her spot, "Goodbye Hina-chan and... Thank you." As soon as she had whispered those words Mirei disappeared further into the forest, the darkness engulfing her small body.

\- - - - - End of Flashback - - - - - 

I pounded my fist against the slippery tiles of the shower wall as tears mixed with the water from the shower. I let out a painful sob at the torturous memory. I let the water wash over me until the tears stopped, I stepped out of the shower, dried myself off and changing into some fresh clothes. I decided to leave my wet hair out for it to air dry and brushed my teeth. 

I walked over to my bed, flopping down with my arms stretched out either side of me. I let out a sad sigh and gazed at the moon which could be seen through my window. I still felt on edge. 

After a bit of an internal battle with myself I left the comfort of my bed to wander around the academy and hopefully calm my nerves a little. 

I strolled aimlessly through the corridors and somehow found myself outside the Headmaster's office. I had the intention of just passing by until I heard Kaname's voice coming from within the office. I tried my best to hide my presence as I leant against the wooden doors. 'Why do I even care if Kaname's in there or not?' 'It's not like really care. I just find him... entertaining, yeah... that's all.' 

I focused on listening to what they were saying because if I used my powers to see through the door Kaname, would sense that I'm a vampire and he probably already knows I'm eavesdropping.

"Headmaster Cross," I heard Kaname stand up. "I have remained silent up till now because I believe in you," I then heard him place his hands on the table, "However, you continue to treat Zero like a normal student taking only the barest minimum of precautions," I could tell he was angry without even looking at him.

I heard what sounded like wood breaking, "do you intend to let your pacifist ideals be destroyed by Zero?" Kaname raised his voice but not to the point of yelling. 'So they're finally doing something about Zero before he loses control.'

"Zero's family was killed by a vampire, miraculously he was the only one who managed to survive that see of blood." Headmaster Kaien paused, "how could you expect me to be cruel to him now?"

Kaname wouldn't give up, "But the one who attacked his family was no ordinary vampire." I heard a slight shuffling sound, "it was a pureblood... like me." 'How dramatic.' 

Kaname continued, "It's an abominable fate from which one cannot escape, humans who are bitten by purebloods... will transform into vampires, it's quite pitiful don't you think... Suzuki-San." 

'As I thought he knew I was here the whole time.' I opened the doors with a smirk plastered on my face, "I agree, hello Headmaster Kaien, Kaname-kun~" 

The Headmaster had a look of slight surprise, "Suzuki-san what are you doing here so late at night?"

"Eavesdropping mostly, but please don't stop talking now that I'm here, you were talking of Zero being a Level E, correct?"

The Headmaster looked apprehensive but Kaname just let out a sigh and continued, "Only two fates await those who have been bitten by a pureblood, they either die from extreme blood loss or if they are unlucky, they survive, tormented by the fact that they are slowly transforming into vampires."

"Question," I put my hand up lazily.

"What is it, Suzuki-san?" Headmaster Kaien asked. 

"What exactly is the point of this conversation? We all know what purebloods and Level Es are, we please get to the point?" 

Kaname decided to ignore my "question" and continued, "it is a "gift" not possessed by any other vampires. Even though he was merely a human, I respected his ability to resist those intense vampire instincts for four years through willpower alone, however..."

I tuned out the conversation completely as the air was filled with the scent of Yuki's blood. I narrowed my eyes and glanced over at Kaname, he could smell it too.

"What's wrong Kaname?" Headmaster Kaien asked a hint of worry in his tone.

"The scent of blood..." Kaname answered as the Headmaster's eyes widened. In a flash Kaname had left the room to find Yuki with me following shortly after.

I followed the scent of blood till it led me to a wooden staircase, Kaname stood between Yuki and Zero, Zero was covered in Yuki's blood. 'So he's finally done it, he lost control and attacked those close to him.' 

 

"Please stop, Kaname-se-" I watched as Yuki attempted to jump between Kaname and Zero but fainted and fell on Zero.

Kaname approached Zero, "You sucked a disgusting amount of blood, didn't you? So much that she can't even stand," he said, lightly picking her up, "Was Yuki's blood that delicious?" He asked Zero while looking him in the eyes. 

Zero's body was shaking, eyes were wide and he held a hand over his face with utter shock and horror at what he had done to Yuki, what he had become.

Kaname walked silently past me with Yuki in his arms, I sent Zero a short glare before following Kaname. At the end of the corridor stood Headmaster Kaien who wore a grim expression on his face as he watched Kaname carry Yuki, supposedly to the infirmary.

 

"Headmaster..." Kaname said while looking back.

 

"Yes, I know...." I walked past the Headmaster and followed Kaname. I watched Kaname sit the now awake Yuki on a chair in the infirmary.

 

"The bleeding has stopped, but it's deep," he told her. I stood in the doorway not really sure if I should come in or just go. "He really bit into you, Yuki..." he trailed off as he saw the tears streaming down Yuki's face. "Does it hurt?"

 

"Huh? O-Oh..." she reached up to swipe away the tears.

 

"Are you scared of vampires now?" She shook her head. Headmaster Kaien came to stand beside me and knock on the door.

 

"Kaname-kun, would you mind going back to class? The smell of blood is agitating the Night Class," with this request Kanmame stood up from where he had been treating Yuki and walked to the door, our eyes met for a moment but that moment passed as quickly as it came. 

Headmaster Kaien kneeled down and placed a band aid over the bite mark on Yuki's neck. "I took Zero back to the Dormitories, he has calmed down now." He stood, "You must be shocked that this was kept from you for so long... I'm sorry it turned out like this, Yuki."

Yuki lifted her head to face the now standing Headmaster, "I never once thought that Zero could be a vampire!"

"He is human... at least originally."

"Originally...?"

"Four years ago, a vampire attacked the Kiryu family, his parents and his younger twin brother were killed, and Zero alone barely survived," the Headmaster paused. "When he was found, he had deep fang mark on his neck."

"He was a human but now he's a vampire, because he was bitten?" Yuki asked becoming confused.

"You think it's just folklore that a human who is bitten by a vampire will turn into one, but..." Headmaster Kaien raised his hand to touch the band aid now on Yuki's neck. "It does happen. There are vampires who can turn humans into their kind, just a handful of them, vampires known as Purebloods."

"Pure...bloods?" Yuki said, shocked at this new information. Yuki lifted a hand to where Zero had bitten her. 

"You don't have to worry Yuki, it goes without saying that Zero is not a pureblood, so you won't turn into a vampire," Headmaster Kaien reassured her. Yuki looked down in thought as Headmaster Kaien left her side and stood in front of me. 

"Suzuki-san I would appreciate it if you would please take Yuki back to the dorms with you, she's had a long night, as have you"

I gave the Headmaster a nod as he strolled past me, out the door to his office. I looked over to Yuki who was still deep on thought.

"You ready to leave?" Yuki snapped out of her daze and stood up, putting up a happy facade which I easily saw through. 

"Y-Yeah I am, sorry I was daydreaming," she said with a forced smile.

I let out a sigh, "I already told you that you don't have to pretend around me, I know you're upset and that's understandable." 

Yuki looked to me, surprised but she quickly recovered, "Zero's been enduring this pain all alone, for so long... I just."

I could sense she was feeling guilty, "even if you had known, there's nothing you could have done the outcome will still be the same, Zero will become a-" I decided against telling her he'll become a Level E, "Zero will still become a vampire and there's nothing that you can do to stop that."

"You're wrong!" I was a little taken aback by her sudden outburst, "if I knew, I could have supported Zero through this, I could have helped! But..." She cast her gaze to the floor, "I just ended up hurting him more." 

I let out a sigh, this conversation was going nowhere, "come on let's go." I walked out the door into the dark corridor and heard Yuki's footsteps behind me. 

I slowed my pace so I was walking side by side with Yuki. She seemed deep in thought, I assumed about Zero, 'Why must she blame herself blaming herself? She is not the one who bit Zero and decided his fate.'

We eventually reached the Headmaster's office, I noticed the doors were slightly ajar and Kaname could be heard bickering with Headmaster Kaien. We stopped outside the doors, eavesdropping on their argument.

"How long do you intend to keep Zero in the Day Class?" Yuki stopped and leaned closer to the door to hear better, whereas I leaned against the wall further away as I didn't have any trouble hearing.

The Headmaster's voice could be heard clearly, "Oh well... A student has never been transferred from Day Class to the Night Class." 'So they're going to transfer Zero to the Night Class, I know he'll hate it there but it's safer for everyone.'

"Who cares about precedents? In this case you have no choice but to transfer Zero Kiryu to our side."

I watched as Yuki realised what they planned to do with Zero, she took a couple of steps away from the door in shock and ran down the dark corridor towards the dorms. I let out a sigh, I was not going to chase after Yuki so I just strolled down the same corridor and made my way back to my room.

\- - - - - Time Skip to Morning - - - - - 

I woke up to the sun streaming through my curtains and falling on the wooden floor next to my bed. The sun hadn't risen as high as usual, it was around 7:50. I pulled myself out of bed while grumbling profanities under my breath. I did my usual routine (sorry I'm lazy) putting on jeans a shirt and a hoodie. I left my room at around 8:10 which left me 20 minutes to get to class.

I walked as slowly as possible to my first class which, happened to be Maths. I didn't want to break my late streak. I managed to prolong the time before arriving so that I entered the classroom just after the bell rang to notify the students that class had begun. 

I took a seat in my usual spot and tried to drown out the voice of the teacher. I managed to fall into a light sleep which was sometimes interrupted. 

I heard the bell for the end of first period and watched as most students left and new ones entered. I didn't have to leave as my next class was in the same room. 

The teacher walked in and started class but I noticed Yuki wasn't concentrating on the lesson but looking at the the rows of seats behind her. 'She's probably looking for Zero, I hope she doesn't do anything stupid.' 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yuki stand abruptly and run out of the classroom, getting yelled at by the teacher on her way out. 'Great. I jinxed it, she's going to go and do something stupid.' 

I lifted myself from my chair and exited the classroom, ignoring the teachers's protests. Outside I saw Yuki running off down a corridor. 

"Yuki-san! You're not going to do something idiotic for Zero's sake, are you!?" I called after her. She immediately stopped, almost tripping over herself in the process which allowed me to catch up. 

"You can't stop me! I'm not changing my mind, I'm going to go to the Moon Dorms to ask Kaname not to transfer Zero." 

I sighed, "as I thought, you are doing something stupid." She looked mildly offended but ignored my comment. "I see three problems with that, 1. It's dangerous, 2. Waking them up now is like waking someone up in the middle of the night and 3. Zero and and the Day Class are also safer if he transfers." 

"I don't care I-" I interrupted Yuki. 

"That being said, I can see nothing will change your mind so I might as well come along just for safety." Yuki gave me a grin.

"But Mirei-san, isn't it just as unsafe for you to go?" My eyes widened slightly at the realisation of my mistake.

"O-Oh yeah it is, but there's safety in numbers," Yuki just shrugged it off to my relief. "Anyway... Lead the way," Yuki took this as her queue to go. 

We finally reached the Moon Dorms where we were greeted by the familiar, hooded, old man at the gate. 

"Umm... A Disciplinary Committee member can pass through right?" Yuki asked nervously, holding her hand to her chest. 

"You're the second one today," the old man informed us. "You must really be curious, passing through here so early in the morning."

I shot Yuki an 'I told you so' look while putting my hands inside the pockets of my hoodie in a relaxed fashion.

"Sure go on through," Yuki let of a sigh of relief and I followed her through the gate. 

Yuki opened the large door to the Moon Dorm and we both stepped inside to be greeted with a large living room. 

"Oh Yuki-chan? Mirei-san? Hanabusa sat on a lounge across from some human men. 

"Oh, Aidou-senpai..." Yuki acknowledged him awkwardly. We watched as Hanabusa shoved the men out the door, flinching slightly at the brightness the outside brings. 'I know that feeling, of just wanting to tear the sun from the sky so that we may always be surrounded by a comfortable darkness.'

"Ugh, it's so bright. I'm sleepy and I'm irritated, those guys are to blame," Hanabusa whined. 

"I'm sorry to intrude," Yuki said softly. 'I'm not.' 

Hanabusa let out a yawn while stretching, "Oh, you can forget them, but why're you here? Everyone's still asleep." 'I wish I was still asleep.'

"Oh, you want me to suck your blood?" Hanabusa said happily while slinging an arm around Yuki.

"Oh no, we came to see Kaname," Yuki informed him. 

He let go of Yuki, "I see... Well, it's this way." He casually strolled up the stairs, ignoring my glare. 

"Um... You're taking me to him?" Yuki and I followed Hanabusa and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. 

He continued to walk up the staircase with his arms resting lazily behind his head. "Kaname-sama is nice only to you, Yuki. And everyone follows what he does." He stopped walking and looked back at us, "Yuki, whose bite marks are those?" 

Yuki instinctively put her hand to her neck only to discover the band aid was gone. Hanabusa leisurely waved the band aid in the air before leaning against the railing. "Last night, the smell of blood suddenly flowed into the classroom, we were all quite shocked." He paused, "I alone noticed right away, that it was the smell of your blood, Yuki-chan." 

He continued, "Kaname-sama said to 'forget it,' so the excitement died down." 

"Kaname-senpai said that? I see..." Yuki said while blushing lightly. I rolled my eyes at her while Hanabusa seemed angered. 'This could end badly.' 

I watched as Hanabusa extinguished all the candles in the room, "Geez... This is so irritating!" He clutched the railing with one hand, sending ice heading straight for us. "Just what are you to Kaname-sama?" 

He froze Yuki's right foot in place while my left foot and leg were firmly frozen to the ground. I considered putting an end to this now but that would mean revealing who I am, so instead I settled with an intense glare. 

Hanabusa easily hopped down the stairs so he could be nearly face to face with Yuki, "say, Yuki-chan... Just what are you to Kaname-sama?" 

"I owe Kaname-senpai my life, he saved me ten years ago from a vampire hungry for blood!" Yuki bravely yelled at Hanabusa. 

A look of realisation came across his face, "really? So that's what happened... So if Kaname-sama is your savior, then you should be willing to give him every drop of blood in your body." He finished with a smile.

"You know Hanabusa, I wonder what Kaname would do if he heard you talking to Yuki-san this way," I was close to breaking the ice and strangling him where he stood but I willed myself to stay calm and handle the situation with my words.

Hanabusa sent me a glare but ignored my comment and instead continued to approach Yuki, "I see... Your blood belongs to Kaname-sama, but that bite mark isn't his, is it?" 

Yuki leaned back as Hanabusa leaned towards her, " hereafter, don't give anyone else your blood, including me." 'She didn't exactly choose to give Zero her blood.' 

He brought his hand to her neck, "one day, your neck... Will be touched ever so gently by Kaname-sama's lips... And his fangs will slowly pierce through the flesh, when you hear Kaname-sama drinking your blood, you are sure to get a thrill, Yuki-chan." 

'Fuck it, I'm going to kill him.' In one swift motion I kicked my leg up and broke the ice surrounding it. Hanabusa tore his gaze away from Yuki and stared at me in shock, probably confused at how I had broken through his ice. 

"H-How did you-" 

I stalked towards him slowly, my words dripping with venom,"Hanabusa, if you say one more word I will snap your neck and cut off your-" 

"That's enough, Suzuki-san," Kaname appeared between Hanabusa and I, immediately dissolving the rest of the ice. He wasn't wearing the school uniform for once bit long pants and a cream shirt. 'He always has to ruin my fun.' 

"A party popper as always, Kaname, the fun was just beginning," I sent Hanabusa an evil smile that caused him to shiver visibly. 

"K-Kaname-sama!" Hanabusa choked out but was quickly silenced by Kaname slapping him. 'Yes!' I mentally fist pumped the air. Hanabusa spat out a small amount of blood.

"Who asked you to do such a thing?" Kaname asked. 

Hanabusa knelt down in front of us, "I was out of line. Pardon me, Kaname-sama."

"Go," Kaname dismissed him and he then turned to Yuki and I. "That was an unpleasant situation, my apologies Yuki and you too Suzuki-san." 

"Oh no! It's all right," Yuki smiled. 

"Whatever..." I shrugged, still slightly annoyed he didn't let me beat the crap out of Hanabusa. 

Kaname lifted his hand to Yuki's face, "It's okay, I want you to stay just the way you are, Yuki. You are the one person who is different from the others who serve me." 'I think I'm pretty different, besides I'll never serve him.'

Kaname continued, "I feel earth from you and that's more than sufficient." I rolled my eyes, for some reason their lovey-dovey act was irritating me. "Now then, you must go. You have a class, don't you?" 

He lead us to the doors, "don't come to a dangerous place like this alone, Zero will do. So from now on, ask him to come with you. He stole something from you, he owes you that much." 

"Please stop, why must you put it like that?" Yuki defended Zero. 'Here we go, let the show begin.' 

Kaname sighed and reached towards the bite marks on her neck, "why? Well... I can't just ignore it... The fact that another bit into the girl I hold very dear."

"Actually, I came because I have a request to make, please don't put Zero in the Night Class!" She yelled the last part. 

"Why?" 

"Zero's been fighting a war all by himself... I knew nothing these past four years... I was so close to him yet I didn't notice a thing." 

"You're very kind, Yuki... But you shouldn't torture yourself over that." 

"You're wrong. It was a huge shock to learn that Zero was a vampire, but yesterday..." Tears began to stream down Yuki's face. 

"I'm sorry... That is a request I cannot honour, even if it's from you. Every human who mutates into a vampire ultimately degenerates to a Level E." A mix a realisation and face came over Yuki's face. "It's only natural that he would not want you to see him in that state. 'Well I guess she was going to find out eventually.'

"That's just...!" She backed away before running out the door. Kaname watched as Yuki ran off into the distance. 

I let out an irritated sigh, "I guess I should go too." I went to walk past Kaname but he grabbed my arm before I could leave. 

"There's something I need to talk with you about," his dark red eyes met mine for a second before I nodded and followed him to the living room. 

I sat on a couch opposite him, "you're not actually going to consider her request are you?" 

"No... I thought you would agree with Yuki, seeing as you went out of your way to accompany her here."

"Hmm... Not really, I just got bored of class besides, I happen to think it's quite dangerous having him around all those humans," I told him in a straight foward manner. 'Probably shouldn't have referred to them as humans, I feel like that sounds suspicious... Oh well too late now.'

"I see..." He paused, "now to more to the point, I saw you break through Aidou's ice, no human should be capable of that." 

"Wow, that really was straight to the point, you Don't like to mess around do you?" I tried to change the subject. 

He just continued to wait for an answer, "hey I already told you, you're gonna have to work for the answers." 

"As I thought, it seems that asking you will be of no help to me, that's all I wanted... You may go back to class now." 

"Righto, lovely chat, I'll leave you to have fun trying to work out all my deepest secrets," I stood to leave, "Bye Kaname-kun~" I left not waiting for a reaction.

Once outside, as I was already skipping class I figured, why not go into town for some ramen. I'll probably get in trouble but life's boring if you don't take a few risks.


	6. chapter 6

Mirei's POV

It was nearing sunset as I left the ramen shop in which I had recently dined. I walked down the seemingly endless maze of alleyway this town had. I hadn't been walking long when I noticed the presence of two Level Es, both stalking me from behind. I turned several corners in the hopes to find somewhere isolated enough so that I could dispose of them unseen. Upon finally reaching a narrow alley with no people I turned to look in the direction I came. Standing there were two "people" one a thin woman with short brown hair, wearing a hood and the other was a tall, pale man with blonde hair. 

"Blood..." The first one mumbled to herself while slowly approaching me, drool dripping down her chin. "Give me your BLOOD!" She swiftly thrusted her body forwards, desperately reaching for me, craving the blood pumping through my veins. A look of pure insanity was etched into her now crimson red eyes, her fangs were protruding from her mouth and her nails had grown to look like talons. 

I let out a sigh as I avoided being cut by her sharp nails, "what a shame, I was considering letting you live but now I see you have lost all sanity so... shall I do the humane thing and just end your suffering?" The woman continued to thrash at me, I dodged each attack with ease. "I'll assume your silence means yes? Good." I let a sadistic smile creep onto my face as I used my mind to make large slashes through her abdomen and arm. The woman wailed in agony as she clutched her bloody arm with the other. I now turned to look at the man who seemed preparing to attack, he hardly seemed phased by his companions's injuries. I allowed my eyes to change to red as I was about to finish them both off, tired with this game. 

A look of fear crossed both of their faces as they realised their fate, "Any last wor-?" I asked but I quickly shifted my focus to two presences which were approaching fast. 'They're definitely human, Hunters probably. No normal human could travel that quickly.' 

"It seems that I won't be the one to kill you after all," I quickly concealed my presence as two figures jumped from a building, landing between the Level Es and I, their backs to me. From what I could tell from behind the man on the right had black, shaggy hair, a beige coat, wearing what appeared to be a cowboy hat and smoking a cigarette.

"It's just some troublesome Level Es," the woman on the left said to the man, her voice almost emotionless but for some strange reason familiar. 'They're definitely Hunters.' The woman wore her light-brown hair in a braid which reached just past her shoulders, she wore black clothes with matching boots and she held a golden staff, obviously a Hunter's weapon in her right hand.

"Oh well, we're here now might as well get rid of them," the man said in a deep voice. The Level Es each tried to attack but both the Hunters effortlessly avoided their attack, the man pulled out a shot gun and aimed it at the male Level E and blew a hole through his head, while the other Hunter skilfully twirled her staff in her hands before swiftly impaling the female Level E in several vital organs. Both Level Es turned to dust and the Hunters put away their weapons.

"Tch, disgusting... all of them are monsters," the woman spat, venom lacing her tone.

They turned to me to ask if I was alright, obviously believing I was human so I prepared to put up a terrified facade. But I didn't get the chance as I immediately recognised the woman. The woman now standing before me, was my childhood friend, my first and only friend, Hina. (Image at the top)

"H-Hina-chan wha- how!?"

"Mi-chan?" A look of surprise crossed her face but it was soon replaced with one of distain. She clutched her weapon tightly, ready to draw it at any second.

"Don't call me that! A monster like you... you pretended to care for me but all your kind care about is blood! It's... it's all your fault that-" She cut herself off, she had raised a shaking hand to rest on her left cheek which, I notice had a white scar running diagonally across it. 'Could I have caused that somehow? No... there's no way,' I reassured myself.

I stood frozen in my spot, each icy word was like a million stabs to the heart, each leaving a residual feeling of pain and sorrow in their wake. I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to defend myself.

"I-I was trying to save you, don't you understand!? She would have killed you!" I yelled back at her, not caring who heard. "Why must you hate me?"

"Why!?" She asked as if the question were absurd, "Because you ruined my life, if only I had never met you!" She raised her spear clearly ready to strike if provoked anymore. 

The man, who I could now see wore an eyepatch, placed his hand over Hina's shoulder to calm her down. He cleared his throat, "I don't know what this is about, and frankly I don't care but," he exhaled the smoke from the cigarette, " I think it's time we head back, we start tomorrow." 

Hina took a deep breath to calm herself down, "for your sake, I hope we never meet again," she finished, her voice filled with contempt. The man gave me a suspicious look before both hunters turned and walked further into town. I stayed frozen in utter bewilderment at the events that had just occurred. 'I had always thought that I would never see her again or that she was dead but... this... this is much worse. I've been rejected again. I shouldn't be surprised, after all who could like a monster like me?'

I made my way back to Cross Academy, by now the sun had dipped below the horizon and it was most definitely after curfew. I walked down the paths of the academy, lost in my own thoughts, I hadn't even noticed where I was going and I was completely oblivious to my surroundings. 

"Oofff," I ran into something hard and as I started to fall back a strong arm reached out to steady me. I looked up my eyes met with familiar red-brown ones. "Kaname! Er..." I noticed that I was still being held by him. I quickly pushed myself away, ignoring my now pink cheeks. "Shouldn't you watch where you're walking," I tried to cover up my embarrassment but failed. 

"I don't believe it's me who was not watching where they were walking, it's unlike you to be so distracted Suzuki-san."

"Whatever... it doesn't matter," I cast my gaze downwards as I remembered the confrontation with Hina. "It's nothing you should concern yourself with." His gaze softened as he observed the sheer anguish and turmoil in my eyes. 

"I may be trying to, as you put it, work out all your darkest secrets but, you can tell me what is bothering you... I can see it pains you," he said genuinely concerned. 

I was taken a little by surprise by the sincerity in his eyes and for a split second I found myself wanting to tell him about Hina, about everything but that was only for a second and I quickly realised that wasn't an option.

"I'm fine... But what's with this sudden change in personality? Since when are you concerned for me? Honestly it's creepy," I tried to change the subject but I could tell he wasn't having it, so I decided to end the conversation to avoid his questions. "Anyway, it's past curfew and I'm not on patrol tonight so I really should be going, bye Kaname-kun," I plastered a fake smile on my face as I pushed past him to the Sun Dorms. The smile faded from my face as I was again left with my thoughts.

I arrived in my room and immediately made my way to the set of drawers beside my bed. I took the key from the window sill and unlocked the second drawer. The drawer contained the only items which were precious to me, the scruffy, worn out red scarf Hina had given me, the book Alice in Wonderland and the flower hairpin I had received for my 7th birthday. I carefully took out the hairpin brushing off the dust it had collected over the past weeks. I clutched it to my heart, old, painful memories emerging and with each memory a new tear would form a narrow river down my cheek and fall to collect at my feet. I cried silently for over an hour, after a while I wasn't even sure why I was crying anymore. 'What happened to you Hina-chan?'

\- - - - - Timeskip to Morning - - - - - 

Yuki, Zero and I were standing before the Headmaster in his office. I stood there grumpily, with my arms crossed as I was somehow dragged from the comfort of my bed and now I was standing there at some ridiculous hour of the morning after I had only had 20 minutes of sleep. I watched as a drop of Zero's blood fell onto the silver bracelet wrapped around Yuki's wrist. 

"In the past, this incantation was used by vampire hunters to tame vampires," the Headmaster grabbed Yuki's lower arm, "both the bracelet I just gave to Yuki and this tattoo are required for it to work." He raised Yuki's bracelet to Zero's tattoo, immediately there appeared to be red sparks of electricity before Zero was forcefully held to the ground by the spell. 

"Zero..." Yuki said worriedly.

"He'll be fine," Headmaster Kaien only smiled. "The immobilisation is only temporary, Yuki, should Kiryu-kun try to bite someone else, you are to use that bracelet to stop him. Oh, and Suzuki-san I think it's best that you also had a weapon to protect yourself whilst on patrols so..." he reached for the draw in his desk pulling out two matching silver daggers, with black handles which I could only assume would be anti-vampire weapons. "These are for you, just in case, they're called Yoake meaning Dawn and Yuugure meaning Dusk."

I took the deadly weapons from him, ignoring the slight stinging sensation that occurred as the daggers reacted to my skin. As the stinging faded away I gave him a nod of gratitude and he continued to talk. 

"This is the condition set by Kaname-kun for allowing Kiryu-kun to remain in the Day Class," he informed us.

"Kaname-senpai did that?" Yuki asked a slight blush coating her cheeks. 

"It was a request of his beloved Yuki after all, otherwise Kaname-kun wouldn't have agreed to something like this." 'I can't believe he's actually allowing Zero to stay in the Day Class just because "beloved" Yuki requested it! He a danger not only the humans but to Yuki as well.' I could feel myself becoming aggravated.

The Headmaster knelt down beside Zero, "I'm really sorry, the truth is I didn't want to do something like this either, here use these to suppress your cravings," he pulled some blood tablets out of his coat. "However, should your craving for blood prove truly unquenchable, feel free to drink mine," the Headmaster said jokingly while pulling down the fabric of his shirt to expose his neck. 

"No offence but, I don't think there's a person alive who'd want to drink your blood," I deadpanned at his antics. 

Zero, now at full mobility and angered, hit the Headmaster a few times before he rolled away to escape Zero's wrath. Zero straightened his uniform and proceeded to walk to the door. 

"Zero! Um..." Yuki trailed off.

"It's okay, I'm fine with it," he said exiting the Headmaster's office. A mixture of concern, worry and surprise crossed Yuki's face at how well Zero seemed to be taking it. 

"It's not fine..." Headmaster Kaien said, still upside down against his large, self made crater in the wall. "Look after

Kiryu-kun properly Yuki, Suzuki-san. Otherwise they will..." 

"They?" Yuki voiced my thoughts out loud. 'Who could 'that man be? He definitely sounds troublesome... oh well it will just make things more interesting.' I left with Yuki to our first class, Maths. 'God how I hate Maths.' 

I proceeded to skip all my classes from lunch onwards to try and catch up on my lost sleep, but unfortunately, sleep wasn't coming easily. I had laid under a large, shady tree for almost an hour but every time I closed my eyes my thoughts would go back to Hina and I would be greeted with unpleasant memories. 

\- - - - - Timeskip to Night Patrol - - - - - 

I leisurely followed Yuki as she ran around searching for Zero who, I had no doubt was avoiding us. We reached the roof of the building outside the Night Class classroom. 

"Jeez... is Zero slacking off again!?" Yuki whined as she took a seat on the thick railing of the building. 

"Probably," I shrugged my shoulders and stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jacket. Yuki creepily gazed at Kaname through the window of the nearby classroom, seemingly deep in thought. 

"Kaname-senpai..." She brought her hand up to the bandaid on her neck obviously thinking of a past memory. She shook her head, probably trying to clear it of her thoughts, stood up and walked to the side of the building. "Come on Mirei-san, let's finish patrol so we can get back early, I noticed you looked more tired than usual... so let's finish up so you can get some sleep!" She finished, smiling but she was clearly concerned for my wellbeing. 

"I'm not that tired... but whatever I do like the sound of finishing early." 

"That's what I thought!" she said gleefully as she jumped over the railing and landing unharmed on the ground. I followed her landing softly beside her.

After the patrol ended I laid in bed willing myself to get some sleep but if I couldn't sleep during the day, there was little hope for me at night and by morning I had only managed to get around 40 minutes of sleep, still it's better than nothing.

I woke at 7:30 in the morning only to be blinded by the ever annoying sun. I let out a huff of annoyance but rolled out of bed. I got dressed into some black jeans and a blue hoodie, brushed my hair, deciding to leave it out and swallowed a blood tablet whole, not bothering to drop it in water. I reached the bathroom to brush my teeth and looked at my reflection, my eyes were starting to develop dark circles underneath and I was paler than usual, if that's even possible for a vampire. I ignored my appearance, brushed my teeth and left for my first class which, to my discontent I was early for. 

I entered the classroom to see students chatting in small groups looking even more lively than usual. I took my seat in the back, not concerning myself with the gossip below me. 

"Safe!" I looked to the door to see Yuki and her friend, who I'm yet to know the name of, enter the classroom. "Did something happen?" Yuki asked a nearby girl after noticing the abundance of excited chatter in the room. 

"Cross-san did you hear? We have a new teacher today," the girl responded. 

"Huh, at a time like this?" 

"I caught a glimpse of him earlier and..." the girl was interrupted by the door opening. The remaining students scrambled to find an available desk to avoid being scolded by the mystery teacher. 

I glanced at the new teacher with disinterest, he wore black jeans, a white shirt with a tie-thingy (sorry I don't know what it's called) and a black jacket but once I saw his face I did a double take. 'Is that cowboy dude I saw with Hina the other day!? Don't tell me she's here too.' My question was answered as the door was reopened by Hina wearing formal clothing, a long skirt, white blouse and light blue jacket. Her hair was also neatly tied into a high bun and blue square-ish glasses rested on her nose. 

I stiffened in my seat and my hands were balled into fists under the table. Hina gazed indifferently around the class not focusing on anyone but as soon as her eyes met mine, they were filled with unwavering hatred. It seemed as if that moment had lasted hours but in actuality it was less than a second before she tore her gaze from mine and she was again indifferent or almost without emotion completely. 

The class was silent as the cowboy dude, (yes, he shall henceforth be known as cowboy dude) who was without his hat, trudged casually to the middle of the room followed closely by Hina. "Looks like you've already heard about me. I'm Yagari Toga, and I'll be your Ethics teacher starting today, nice to meet you." 'How did a Hunter become a teacher? Don't you need credentials or a degree of some sort for that?' 

"And this is Takegawa Hinami, she's a student teacher," he said gesturing to Hina. 

"Nice to meet you all," she greeted with a smile which, was clearly fake. 'What happened to her? She used to be so cheerful... could this really be my fault?' 

I averted my gaze to the other side of the room to clear my mind of the lingering guilt and uneasiness and noticed Zero sitting there, wide eyed and looking as if he had seen a ghost. 

"Since today is our first day," cowboy dude continued, "we will answer any questions you might have for us..." There was some chatter around the class before several students raised their hands. 

"Sensei, are you single?" the girl from earlier asked. 

"Yes." I rolled my eyes at the question.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Another girl piped up. 'Isn't that the same question? Honestly... these fangirls can be so irritating.' I rested my chin on my hand in a relaxed manner but I still felt some tension from being in the same room as Hina. 

"You guys sure like those kinds of questions, huh?" Students then continued to flood him with questions until the class president stood up.

"All of you! Raise your hands and wait your turn to ask questions!" he pointed to the now silenced crowd behind him. 

A girl raised her hand, "is that thing on your face supposed to be fashionable of something?" she asked referring to cowboy dude's eyepatch. "And where did you get get that scar?" She gestured to Hina. 

I leant forward slightly in my chair, curious as to what had caused the scar for which I am apparently responsible. 

"You see..." Hina started, her eyes downcast, "I got this scar because a long time ago, close friend of mine did something... horrible." She quickly looked back at the class, "Just kidding~" She pretended to joke. Some people sweat dropped, some laughed awkwardly but I only became more confused and troubled. 'Did I really cause that?'

Zero stood abruptly and exited the classroom without a word. 'I think I might join him...' All I wanted was to leave the tense atmosphere of the classroom. 

"Sensei, as a member of the Disciplinary Committee, I'll bring him back to class," Yuki rose from her seat. Cowboy just remained silent and didn't protest so Yuki took her leave. 

"Me too, I'm also part of the Disciplinary Committee," I stood to leave, avoiding eye contact with Hina and as I reached the door I heard him speak.

"This is compensation, for a certain individual's life," I opened and shut the door behind me, effectively cutting out any sound from the classroom. 'I wonder who's life? Does Zero have something to do with this?... He seemed pretty shaken up.'

I left determined to find a nice, shady tree to sit in and hopefully take a nap or at least help me relax. But unfortunately I happened to walk in the same direction as Yuki and Zero had and ended up at the front gate of the school. I came to stand beside Yuki and at the gate, stood Headmaster Kaien, smiling gently at us. 

\- - - - - Small Timeskip - - - - -

Yuki stretched her arms to the sky, now dressed in casual clothes, including a long sleeved pink jacket with a black shirt underneath. She turned to look at Zero and I, "it sure was nice of the Headmaster to ask us to run an errand for him!" She said happily. 'This is her definition of nice? And that's easy for her to say, she's not carrying anything.'

"Not really," Zero replied. He carried a long cylinder-like bag over his right shoulder and held a big, brown paper big in his other hand. He also was dressed in casual attire, wearing a light blue shirt with a dark jacket. 

"I don't see how this is fun..." I grumbled, readjusting the large bag of groceries in my arms. 

Yuki ignored our whining, "ohhh Zero, Mirei, this way, this way!" She shouted excitedly while running in the direction of something that had caught her eye. Zero sighed and watched as Yuki stroked a yellow scarf she had found outside a nearby shop. We eventually made our way to a small cafe, after many stops on the way, mostly made by Yuki. 

"Itadakimasu!" Yuki dug a spoon into her sundae.

"I wanted to eat Shio Ramen," Zero said while sipping a cup of coffee, as the spoon was about to enter Yuki's mouth, she paused for a moment before rapidly taking a few mouthfuls of ice cream. 

"B-But I really like the parfait here, and you like it here too, right Mirei-san?" She gave me a pleading look.

"To be frank I'd much rather be asleep right now so, I don't especially care where I am if I can't sleep."

"Right... well I came here with Yori-chan the other day, and..." 'So that's her friends name.' Yuki stopped eating for a moment, she lowered the spoon. "Hey Zero... do you know that new teacher?" He looked away with a troubled expression, "It's okay, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. But he seems really scary somehow." 

"You're wrong," Zero said, still not looking her in the eyes. 

He was cut off by a waitress with light brown hair carrying a water jug,"Excuse me, but are you a member of Cross Academy's Night Class?... I knew it! I could tell right away!" the waitress squealed. "You exude an aura that is different from other people." 'How annoying, I'm already lacking sleep and this twit wants to go and squeal right next to me.'

"Um..." Yuki tried to interrupt. 

"People who are elite really are of a different class!" Zero started gathering his items, "Do you know someone called Aidou? He has a real sweet tooth so-" 

"Hey. Would you shut up," I gave the woman the sharpest glare I could manage, "I'm already tired as hell and I keep running into people I don't want to see, so my temper is short as it is. The last thing I want is for some bimbo with less than two brain cells, who's only paid to pour drinks not go running her mouth off, when clearly no one gives a rats ass," I finished, my voice like ice. I was satisfied at the sight of the now trembling hands of the waitress, who had a look of pure shock. I redirected my glare to the dull wall, at least that will be more interesting and quieter. 

I heard Zero stand, "I'll wait outside," he left a moment later leaving only Yuki, me and the stunned waitress. The waitress left as fast as her feet would take her and Yuki returned to eating her sundae in silence. We left the money on the table before leaving to meet with Zero. 

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, are you alri-" Yuki cut herself off as she realised she had been talking to air. "Zero?" She turned to see his belongings discarded on the ground nearby. I look of concern crosses her face, "we need to find Zero, he could be in danger!" she started running in the direction she assumed he had run off in. 'Honestly... he can take care of himself. But I suppose I should follow, after all, there's been more Level Es around here than usual.' 

"How troublesome," I sighed as I strolled after her, making sure to keep track of her presence and take shortcuts to keep up with her and perhaps help her, should the occasion arise.


	7. chapter 7

Mirei's POV

I kneeled on a tiled roof of a tall town house watching as Yuki ran around the town searching for Zero. She ran aimlessly for some time before I saw her slow down and look at her sleeve. I was almost immediately hit with the strong scent of Yuki's blood. 'She must have cut herself on something, this is going to be annoying, I just know it.'

I man with long, brown hair stood on the side of a building near Yuki, I watched as an ugly smile spread across his face. Upon closer inspection I realised he was a Level E. The Level E lunged at Yuki, eyes an unnatural red but was met with metal as she had drawn Artemis from who knows where. He flipped away to come to stand a couple of metres from Yuki further down the alley. I now watched from my hiding spot, on the roof above the two. 'Lets see how much she can handle before I have to interfere.'

"Your blood smells really good," the Level E told her, lifting one of his clawed hands towards her. "Let me... drink it all!" A look of horror crossed Yuki's face and she froze as the Level E lunged at her once again. I prepared to intervene but I saw Zero approaching behind Yuki. He grabbed Artemis from her and used it to hit the Level E in the face. 

The Level E screamed in pain, holding his face as he was sent backwards by Zero's powerful blow. 

"Don't space out Yuki," Zero scolded her. White sparks of electricity started to emit from the silver rod still in Zero's grasps, "Artemis doesn't seem to like me using it." 'No shit sherlock.' Still in my position on the roof, I noticed Ichijou and Senri close by. 

They both swivelled around to look back at the Level E who was now filled with rage. Yuki fell to her knees, "This is... a Level E?" She asked in fear. Zero ran towards the Level E, preparing to attack but Ichijou was faster. Ichijou unsheathed his katana and sliced through the Level E with ease, reducing to mere sand and dust. 

Senri stood behind Ichijou with a blank expression as the dust cleared and they came into view of Yuki and Zero. "Ichijou-senpai!? Shiki-senpai!?" Yuki asked in disbelief. 

"Mission accomplished," Ichijou said as he sheathed his katana. 

"There was no need for me to come here after all," Senri added. 

"Why are you two doing this?" Yuki inquired, standing up. 

"If you want to know the answer, then come to the Moon Dormitory tonight, I'll tell you why I killed the Level E then," Ichijou finished, leaving a confused Yuki in his wake. Senri and Ichijou left, leaving Zero and Yuki. 

Yuki seemed to be spacing out, deep within her own thoughts before a look of realisation came of her face. "Um... Zero," He nodded for her to continue, "where's Mirei-san?" 

"Don't ask me, you're the one who lost her."

"But you're the one who ran off in the first place!" She defended herself. The two continued to squabble for some time before I let out a sigh and jumped from the roof, landing softly beside them. 

"Mirei-san!? B-But that house is so tall! How did you-" (anime rule #1 the rules of physics do not apply, duh)

"Magic. Obviously," I cut her off. Zero stifled a laugh at Yuki's perplexed expression. 

"B-But..." Yuki mumbled still struggling. 

"Never you mind it's getting late, let's go," I encouraged her to walk back to the academy. 

\- - - - - Time Skip to Night Time - - - - -

I was taking a midnight stroll around the grounds while on patrol, the academy was so peaceful at night. I sighed I content as I felt the cool breeze brush lightly against my skin. For once I began to forget about my troubles, all my worries, all those terrible memories were washed away with that gentle breeze. 

But that moment was short lived as I crashed back to reality by Yuki, who was now in school uniform, almost running into me.

"Would you please watch where you're going," I said in harsh tone, still slightly bitter that she had interrupted my moment of peace. 

"O-Oh, sorry Mirei-san... I was just um..." 

"You're going to the Moon Dormitory to meet Ichijou, right?" 

"How did you know?" She asked sheepishly. 

"I knew you would be overcome with curiosity, I believe that's what Ichijou was counting on."

"Are you saying it's a trap?" She looked slightly offended and saddened, as if she had been betrayed. 

"Not necessarily, you're just easy to manipulate." 

"Um..." She trailed off, unsure of how to answer. 

"Don't worry, you can work on your naivety, but until then I'm assuming you're still going to the Moon Dorm?"

"I-I think so... I mean yes," she stated a little more confidently.

"Well, I might as well come with," I began strolling lethargically to the Moon Dorm, shoving a hand into my pocket, pulling out a lollipop. "Oo Watermelon," I unwrapped the sweet treat and put it in my mouth. "You coming?" 

"Y-Yeah" she sweat-dropped at my behaviour, becoming somewhat accustomed to it. 

We arrived at the wooden gate to the Moon Dorm only to be greeted by Zero leaning against the gate, "I knew it." 

"See, I told you, you're too predictable," she decided to ignore my comment. 

"Zero? Y-You can't stop me," she kept walking. 

"I won't, I'm going with you," he stated. 

"You weren't invited," I said. 

"Um... but neither were you Mirei-san..." Yuki seemed reluctant to mention this.

"Shhh... He didn't know that, now your making me sound like a hypocrite," I responded, faking hurt. They both rolled their eyes. 

Zero pulled a gun out of his pocket, "I borrowed this gun from the Headmaster, it's an anti-vampire gun."

"Everyone in the Night Class is nice!" She prepared to defend them. 

"That's not it..." he reached for Yuki's right hand, gently placing the gun in it. "When the last of my humanity is gone and I lose control of myself, use this to kill me." 'Well this became dark pretty quickly.'

Yuki's eyes widened and she tried to hand the gun back to Zero, "there's no way I could do that! Besides we can stop you with the incantation the Headmaster taught us," she spoke rapidly. 

"The incantation is only temporary, you should be aware of that after witnessing a Level E. One day the time will come, and when it does Yuki, I want you to kill me... with your own hands." 

A moment passed before anyone spoke, "fine, I will accept your wishes. But you know, I don't believe that day will ever come," she shook her head, "I don't want to, promise me that you will struggle to the very end. So that I will not have to use this gun." 'Isn't that the same as asking him to slowly torture himself until he falls to insanity?' 

A look of surprise was plastered on his face for a moment before we all continued to walk through the gate. As we were walking down the long path, I sensed Hanabusa and Akatsuki hiding in some trees just ahead of us. 'Just what are they planning?' 

As we reached the pair in the trees they both jumped down on either side of us. Zero drew his gun, Bloody Rose and Yuki drew out Artemis, they both held their weapons close to the vampires in front of them. 

"You guys are so rude," Hanabusa teased. 

"We came to get you because the Dorm President told us to," Akatsuki informed us. "Would you please put those dangerous weapons away?" 

They both redrew their weapons and the two vampires came to stand in front of us. "Welcome to the Moon Dormitory," Hanabusa bowed. "The two of us will show you the way in." They started to lead as down the same path, as we got closer candles lit our way. 'Isn't this just the way we were already going? It's not like we were lost.' 

We started to see the many ghostly faces of the aristocratic vampires littering the walkway and the gardens, all gazing at us curiously or some with malice, I'm assuming towards Zero. Yuki seemed to be nervous, she looked at all the vampires with wide eyes. 

"This way," Akatsuki guided us. A little further Akatsuki stopped and peered around his back to see what they were stopped for. 

"Welcome! Yuki-chan, Zero-kun, Mirei-chan! Tonight is my birthday party!" He said with a warm smile, gesturing to the table behind him which, was filled with gifts, assorted cakes and foods. 'There it is again, those sparkles... wait did he use chan!?' I grumbled a little under my breath, but didn't say anything and continued sucking on my lollipop, which to my dismay was almost gone. 'At least there's cake.'

"I-I didn't come here to play, I wanted to ask you about the things that happened today," Yuki interrupted his little happy moment. "Um... senpai, why did you kill the Level E? I mean he's a vampire just like you." 'She shouldn't group us in with Level E's like that, we're not all driven by our lust for blood.' I walked over and grabbed a slice of vanilla cake and started nibbling on it as I rejoined the group. 

"We are not the same as them, Yuki-chan," he said, grabbing a glass of what I can only assume was fruit punch because of its yellow colour. "Vampire society is ruled by the handful of Purebloods and a select number of noble families. All of the vampires in the Night Class belong to the Noble Class or above, but there do exist normal vampires below us," he finished and handed her the glass. "And further beneath those," he looked at Zero, "are the vampires who used to be human." 

Senri, who now stood behind us added in, "then there are those who don't even fall within the ranking system... the Level E's."

"Vampires who used to be humans will slowly lose their sanity, and eventually succumb to Level E, no matter what," Ichijou said, all traces of his previous cheerfulness were gone. 

This time Hanabusa spoke, "we are completely different from vampires who used to be human, please don't lump us together." 

"You don't have to say it like that!" Yuki shouted. 'Here we go again, attracting unnecessary attention.' "It's not like Level E's chose to become vampires on their own! The original cause for all this is-" 

"That's precisely why we have to control them," Ichijou interrupted. "Before their craving for blood forces them to randomly start attacking humans..." Yuki calmed down at Ichijou's words. 

"I was the one who gave the order," a familiar velvety voice called. We all turned to see Kaname standing on some sort of wooden platform with a red couch and tall, golden candle holders. "I told Ichijou and Shiki to hunt for the Level E today." 

"Kaname-senpai you..." 

"Yuki, I can't believe you actually came to such a dangerous place just because Ichijou told you to," Kaname scolded. 

I shot Yuki a look of 'I told you so ' which she ignored switching her attention back to Kaname. "I wanted to verify things in person." 

He let out a sigh, "In person, huh... Come here Yuki. You too, Suzuki-san, Kiryu-kun." He took a seat on the couch as we walked up the stairs. 'He looks pissed.' "Yuki, come sit beside me." 

"Huh?" She stopped in shock.

"Just come."

"It's okay!" she tried to refuse, not wanting to cause a commotion. 

"Yuki." 

"Yes!" That was all he had to say and Yuki sat down next to him like an obedient dog. 'I should teach her to roll over and shake hands, wouldn't that be fun,' I smirked internally. 

Kaname wrapped a hand around her shoulder and pulled her closer. I clenched my fists slightly, agitated for some reason, 'I wonder why but... I have this weird feeling in my stomach and I don't like it, I wish it would go away already.' I shook my head slightly to clear it of my thoughts. 

"The safest place for you is by my side," he told her. Zero and I went to lean on the balcony overlooking the rest of the party. 

"Um... for some reason, I feel like I need to thank you all the time," she said whilst looking at her lap. 

"Vampires who were once humans should never have been brought into existence, but in the past, in that desolate time, when the war between vampires and vampire hunters reached its zenith, vampires transformed many humans into lesser vampires in an attempt to bolster their forces. Ever since then, those who are of noble class or above are obligated to control those who were once human," he finished his little lecture and lifted Yuki's bandaged arm. "As such there are also times when we must dispose of them as well." 

I watched Zero approach the two, "hunting vampires is the job a a vampire hunter." 

"In that case, why didn't you kill that Level E when you had the chance. 'Oh things are getting heated.' I watched, amused from the sidelines, finally able to enjoy some good entertainment. Zero didn't respond, Kaname ignored him and turned back to Yuki. 'Well that was disappointing.' 

He held Yuki's injured arm, "this wound is from today, correct? I shall take away the pain." He lightly kissed her arm as a purple circle appeared around the wound, healing it. 'There's that weird feeling again... for some reason I also feel a little angry.' "Kiryu-kun, could it be that you sympathised with him?" He asked striking a nerve in Zero. 

Zero pulled out his gun and aimed it at Kaname, earning gasps from the crowd. Seiren had her hand at Zero's neck, prepared to, I assume decapitate him at a moments notice. 'Yay! it became interesting again.'

"Seiren, it's alright," he reassured. "I was the one whose words gave offence." Zero lowered his gun as Seiren also lowered her arm. 

"He actually dares to point a gun at Kaname-sama," I heard Hanabusa mutter angrily, his voice steadily growing louder. "Even if I were to slice him to pieces, it wouldn't be enough!" Zero turned his body to look at Hanabusa, "But I won't do that, as long as I am in this school. I do not wish to renounce Headmaster Cross' pacifism." More Night Class students stood behind him, "But remember this, the only reason we are all gathered here at this school, is because of Kaname-sama, a Pureblood." 'Wow, dinner and a show.'

"Pureblood...? Kaname-senpai is a Pureblood?" She turned to Kaname for clarification. 'Jeez she really is slow, did she think they just followed his orders for fun?' All Kaname offered her was a smile, which answered her question. 

"You appear as though you have only just learnt this Yuki, are you afraid?" Kaname asked. 'This is starting to feel like a soap opera.'

"I have always been a little scared of you, Kaname-senpai," she started, "even now I'm a little scared..." 'It's gotta suck to be Kaname right now, that was pretty blunt.' 

"Alright everyone!" Ichijou clapped his hands to break the tension. "It's my birthday today, so make sure to celebrate it properly for me. Those three are my important guests," he spread his arms joyfully. The rest of the Night Class took this as their cue to return to their previous conversations. 

I watched as the Night Class conversed, danced and drank happily. Ichijou cut himself on a knife, trying to cut a slice of cake and Senri began licking the blood from his finger. Yuki looked squeamish and Zero appeared nauseous at the sight and smell of blood that had filled the air and proceeded to run down the stairs and down the path from which we came. 

"Kaname-senpai I-" she cut herself off and ran after Zero. As she ran past Hanabusa he caught her hand, giving her a devilish grin.

"Yuki-chan, won't you dance with me?" But Yuki just shook him off and continued to run after Zero, there's no way I was going to chase after them. I let out an exhausted sigh, still leaning against the balcony. 

"Is it okay to let her go?" Akatsuki asked Kaname. 

"Yuki will definitely come back to me sooner or later," he answered confidently. 'She really is like a faithful dog,' I smiled to myself.

"Well, as entertaining as this has been, it seems as though I will have to leave also," I informed Kaname mostly. I was halfway down the stairs when I heard him address me. 

"Suzuki-san, I would like to meet with you tomorrow night, if that is not a problem?" 

I stopped walking and turned my head to face him, "oh, you want to me with me huh... I guess while I'm on patrol, around... 11:00pm, but whatever you've got to say, it had better be interesting." 

"I'm sure you will find it quite amusing," I saw his lips curve into the tiniest of smirks. 'We'll just have to see about that.'

I continued down the path wondering aimlessly back to my dorm. I had almost made it back to the Sun Dorm when I caught a whiff of blood in the air. 'Is that... Zero's blood?' I contemplated finding the source of the blood but I had had enough for one night and I desperately needed sleep otherwise, my craving for blood would grow stronger, the more depleted my energy became. 'I should take some more blood tablets or things could take a turn for the worse...'


	8. chapter 8

**Bold is for English** as opposed to Japanese

Mirei's POV

I sat in class, bored as ever, drawing on the desk and trying to balance my pencil upright on the lead which was proving difficult. The English teacher drawled on about the difference between 'l' and 'r' while shooting me a sharp look occasionally. I concentrated until the pencil balanced perfectly on its pointed end.

"Finally!" My classmates stared back at me in shock at after my sudden outburst.

"Suzuki-san. Would you care to explain?" Kaede-sensei asked, strangely calm and adjusted her glasses.

"If you were me, you would be ecstatic, do you know how long that took?" I accidentally knocked the desk causing the pencil to fall. 'R.I.P standing pencil 2:40pm-2:41pm.'

"Quite some time I would presume," she kept her calm demeanour. 'Okay... this is weird, usually she would have yelled at me by now.'

"But I would appreciate it if you didn't interrupt the classes' precious learning time," her words became like ice and her face darkened. 'Nevermind, there it is.'

"I hardly think that anyone finds this class precious," I leaned back on my chair and rested my feet on the desk.

"Tch," with that she mumbled something under her breath, turned back to write on the board and continued with the lesson. I spent the rest of the lesson trying to get the pencil to balance again but to no avail.

We were finally dismissed for lunch and Kaede-sensei instructed me to go to detention in the afternoon as well as Yuki who had fallen asleep in her class. Kaede-sensei left after setting us some work and I went and sat next to Yuki.

"Hi Mirei-san," Yuki greeted. I nodded in acknowledgment.

"So... what happened to Zero?"

"W-Why would you assume something happened?" She asked flailing her arms around, probably trying to come up with some elaborate lie.

"Pftt... what was that, charades? You really need to learn how to lie, you're way too transparent."

"Right... I should have known you would be able to tell, you're always so observant."

"I guess... anyway why is Zero not in class? I'm assuming something happened last night."

She sighed and looked away, "Yeah, Zero lost control and tried to bite me... b-but only for a brief moment, I mean I snapped him out of it." 'Honestly, sometimes I really don't understand this girl, defending him even though he could have easily killed her yesterday.' She continued, "but Yagari-sensei saw what happened and tried to kill Zero but luckily the Headmaster stopped him."

"I see, that makes sense," I stood up and gathered my things (pencil).

"U-um Mirei-san we still have detention..."

"Were you seriously expecting me to listen to that old bat?" I asked, referring to Kaede-sensei. "There's no way I'm staying here a second longer, I'll meet you at the change over." I left Yuki in the classroom as I made my way to the change over.

With every step the squeals got louder and I was on the verge of a headache by the time I had made it to the gate. I stood in the middle of the pathway and let out a breath of frustration, "Hey! You all have to the count of three to get in line and shut the fuck up or I'll sew your mouths shut!" I mustered up my nastiest glare which seemed pretty effective by the way the once shouting girls were scrambling into lines.

"1... 2..." I was interrupted by Yuki running down the path and stopping in front of me.

"I'm so sorry I'm late! I know how hard it is to do this alone, they never..." she looked around only now noticing the lack of desperate screaming. "How!? They're all lined up so perfectly and they... they're not making any noise," she rambled, astonished.

I simply shrugged and continued to glare at any person who dare to step out of line. The gates opened to reveal the Night Class, and the Day Class became boisterous once again, screaming the names of the passing vampires. "Oi what did I say!?" My outburst caused some nearby students to flinch. Now I definitely have a headache.

I watched as Yuki deliberately ignored Kaname. 'Ouch rejected.' Kaname then nodded in my direction presumably to confirm that I would meet him later. I gave him a nod back and the rest of the Night Class all went on their way to class.

Once the excitement had died down and the hordes of fangirls had dissipated, Yuki and I started the patrol. We wondered the many, dark halls of the academy searching for anything out of place. Alas, there was no entertainment to be found so I followed Yuki around for most of the night.

"Hey Mirei-san, do you mind if I go ask Yagari-sensei something?" She asked gesturing down a dim hallway.

"Sure, I don't have a problem with it."

"Thanks," she offered me a smile but I could tell her mind was preoccupied with something. After a few minutes of walking we eventually saw the silhouette of Yagari-sensei and Hina outside a classroom. I tensed ever so slightly at the thought of another confrontation with Hina. Yagari-sensei rested a book on his shoulder casually, still unaware of our presence. Yuki reached out and pulled on his sleeve causing him to turn around and Hina to send me a small glare.

"Did you do something to Zero?" Yuki asked him.

"Of course, I isolated him," he answered coldly. "He's extremely dangerous right now, he could bare his fangs at any moment. Isolation prevents him from causing even greater harm before I can finish him off."

"Other than that, Zero is fine right?" 'She really is naïve.' "Where is he?"

"Let go of me," he shook her hand off. "I don't have time for this now, that stupid Headmaster has just forced a troublesome job on me." He tapped his book on his shoulder, "go teach Ethics to the Night Class as well, is what he said."

They started to leave, "Wait!" Yuki called after them. I looked behind us to see Kaname approaching, looking a little pissed off.

"Go do your own job," Yagari-sensei said as he entered the Night Classroom with Hina trailing closely behind.

"I see Kiryu-kun didn't come to class today," Kaname said as he walked past. He turned back to talk to Yuki, "If only for his sake, you should consider transferring him to the Night Class." He also entered the classroom to leave Yuki and I alone in the hallway.

"Well... let's finish the patrol," I went to walk off but Yuki did not budge.

"I'm sorry Mirei-san but could you finish without me? I'm not leaving until Yagari-sensei tells me where Zero is."

"How stubborn... but I guess that's not always a bad thing," I turned to the window, opening it as a rush of fresh air entered the corridor. "Alright, later~" I jumped out of the window which was located three stories above the ground. I landed gracefully on the grass below and began my journey to the fountain, the place where I agreed to meet with Kaname." 'He better not waste my time.'

I sat on the edge of the fountain, occasionally scooping water through my fingers as I watied. I sat at the fountain for around 40 minutes before I heard footsteps approaching.

"You're late," I lifted my gaze from the fountain to meet his beautiful eyes.

"No, I believe you were early," he retorted.

"Hm... I suppose, well with what did you want to talk with me?" I stood up, still facing him.

"As straightforward as ever I see... I had better get to the point," I waited for him to continue but I was greeted by a small but sharp dagger hurtling towards my face at an inhuman speed. I narrowly dodged it but I gained a large scratch on the side of my face. Immediately, my skin repaired and the cut was gone within seconds, leaving no trace of its existence. 'Well I guess he knows I'm a vampire.'

"That wasn't very nice~" I said in a deadly tone, aiming it towards the one who had thrown the dagger, Kaname.

"As I thought, you are a vampire," he said smirking.

"Very clever~ Kaname-kun," I changed my eyes from their regular blue to a bright, crimson red. I allowed some of my presence as a vampire to escape but I was careful not to reveal myself as a Pureblood. "To be honest, I thought you would have figured it out sooner," a sadistic smile graced my lips. "But what would you have done if I were human?" I asked.

"The fact remains that you are a vampire." 'He's totally dodging the question! Was he seriously going to impale me?'

He allowed is eyes to morph into the same crimson red as mine, "tell me, why are you here?" I could tell he was trying to threaten me, using his status as a Pureblood but it wasn't working.

"What am I always telling you, you have to work for the answers," I teased. "Jeez, some people never learn." He glared at me through the inky blackness of the night.

"Fine, I'll give you a freebie," I waved my hand in a nonchalant manner. "It's simple, I want entertainment." He seemed a little confused by this, as if he was expecting more. "Well why bother living a boring life when I could live one full of excitement and mischief."

"You say that but, I will find out your true intentions," he gave me a look of determination. 'But I just told you my intentions, oh well could be fun for a while.'

"How naïve of me to think that you would be fooled by that," I had to refrain from laughing. "I suppose our little game will have to continue."

"I suppose so," he confirmed. "Although I will warn you, now that I am certain you're a vampire if you step out of line I will not hesitate to punish you."

"So scary~ what ever will I do?" I said playfully. I swear I saw the tiniest, most minuscule smile form but it my have just been my imagination. "Well as much fun as this has been, I have to go back to the dorms and pretend to sleep like a good little human." I covered up my presence again so that I would appear human.

I walked around Kaname towards my dorm, a smirk still plastered on my face. 'Well he certainly didn't let me down, that was rather amusing and unexpected.'

\- - - - - Timeskip to Next Day - - - - -

I sat in class waiting for the Ethics lesson to start. Yagari-sensei was annoyingly late which had given the students a chance to talk and they were getting on my nerves. I grumbled and turned to see Yuki jump up from her spot and run out of the classroom. 'She seems to have a habit of doing that.'

Feeling inquisitive, I decided to ask Yuki's friend what had happened," hey um... Yori-san is it?"

She looked up with an impassive expression, "yeah I'm Sayori Wakaba, you're Suzuki-san right?" I nodded in confirmation.

"So what's up with Yuki?" I asked her.

"Hm... I'm not sure but it could have something to do with Zero, he didn't show up to class today" she answered.

"That makes sense, thanks." I left her to continue to sit in silence. 'I don't mind her, she's not like those desperate fangirls.' I took a seat at the back of the classroom again. 'I saw a bandaid on Yuki's neck earlier so I'm assuming that Zero drank her blood but she had a look of regret... no guilt maybe, so that means she probably gave her blood to Zero. What a silly girl, there's no way her blood could satisfy a Level E for long.'

The door opened and people returned to their seats as Hina strolled into the classroom alone. "I apologise for my tardiness but there were some important matters to which I had to attend." The class were now completely settled and looking to Hina for further instruction.

"Yagari-sensei will be here shortly, but in the meantime all you will be writing essays," she continued to explain some assignment or something, I don't know I tuned out at the word essay. I rested my head in my arms, on my desk and ignored the rest of the world.

"Mirei, what are you doing?" I ignored her, hoping she'd give up, "I know you can hear me." 'All I wanted was to sleep, is that too much to ask?'

"What is it?" I lifted my head, agitated and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Why aren't you writing your essay?" Her eyebrow twitched, clearly annoyed.

"It's boring, I'd much rather sleep," I told her matter-of-factly.

**"If you don't cooperate, I will tell this entire class of the monster you are,"** she tried to blackmail me in English so the class wouldn't understand.

**"A monster am I...? Go ahead, I doubt these humans would believe you."**

**"Maybe not, but the Night Class will,"** the Day Class students watched curiously, as if they were watching a tennis match. I was quickly growing irritated by this argument.

**"You seem to be under the impression that I care."**

**"Your apathy just proves that you are a heartless monster."** Every time she called me a monster I felt a sharp pain in my heart as if someone were stabbing it with a large needle.

**"Maybe I wouldn't be so heartless if I wasn't called a monster every ten seconds!"** I was on my last nerve.

**"Well maybe you should have thought of that before you-"** The large door swung open, Yagari-sensei appearing by the enterance.

"Would you care to tell me what's going on?" He asked, aiming the question to both of us.

"Tch, nothing that concerns you," I stood and headed to the door making sure to avoid eye contact with Hina on my way out. I shut the door behind me and looked down, my hands were balled into fists and hairs stood up on the back of my neck. The glass of the nearby windows were beginning to crack forming patterns like spider webs. 'Calm down Mirei,' I squeezed my eyes shut and took a few deep breaths in the hopes of not breaking every window in the building.

After a minute I had calmed down enough and I was fairly sure I wasn't going to go on a murderous rampage. Emphasis on the fairly. I strided down the hall to find somewhere somewhat tranquil, which happened to be the forest. Once deep enough into the forest, I climbed up tree, closed my eyes letting the feeling of the wind on my skin relax me. I stayed in the forest for the rest of the day, only returning to my room in the evening. There's no way I could cope being in a mundane classroom for another minute.


	9. chapter 9

Mirei's POV

I woke to the incessant screeching of birds outside my window, their squawks irritating me and causing me to put my pillow over my head in an attempt to block out the hideous noise. I didn't even bother getting out of bed, there's no way I was going to go to class where Hina is, after what happened yesterday. There's no way I'm doing that, especially during the day. I turned over, ignoring the birds and the brightness of the room and drifting into a hopefully dreamless sleep. Unfortunately, I was wrong. 

Third Person POV

\- - - - - Flashback / Dream - - - - - 

A 12-year-old girl sat alone on a bench, in the field of a large middle school. Other children chatted lively around her, while other played tag. She saw the smiles of her fellow classmates and watched in sadness and envy. She returned her gaze to her lap, her long black bangs covering her eyes. Her red tattered scarf swaying with the cold wind.

"Oi Mirei-san!" She heard a high-pitched voice and raised her head to see five of her classmates standing before her. A tall girl stood at the front, her blonde hair tied into two curly pigtails. The girl stared down at her, a sick grin adorning her face. Mirei gazed back at the girl, unsure of how to respond. "Hey are you listening?" She sneered.

"Yeah... sorry," Mirei replied, avoiding eye contact. 

"Whatever... we wanted to invite you to have lunch with us!" A fake smile stretched across the girl's face. Mirei looked back to the girl, not trusting her but not wanting to be rude. 

"I... um...I guess I could."

"That's a great idea Nami-chan! Why don't you come with us to the classroom?" A girl with grey hair and pale blue eyes piped up. 

"But there's no one there right now, won't we get in trouble?" Mirei asked trying to avoid the situation. 

"Don't be such a chicken, Mirei-san," a boy with short brown hair and green eyes added. "Follow us."

Mirei was pulled to her feet and the group surrounded her as they moved towards a vacant classroom. She was pushed into the dim classroom as they shut the door behind them. She clutched her scarf nervously, her eyes glued to the floor. 

"You know, I really hate people like you," Nami, the leader of the group declared. Mirei looked up to meet Nami's gaze who was now standing in front of her. "Why are you always wearing that shabby scarf... and you never bother to talk to anyone, it's like you think you're better than us!" She shoved Mirei causing her to take a step back. "But I'm here to teach you a lesson," she stated proudly and snapped her fingers.

Mirei gulped as they closed in around her, "hey freak! Catch!" One of the boys threw a full tin of paint at her. Due to her quick reflexes, she caught the bucket however, the purple paint had been sprayed across her once grey shirt. Paint stuck to her hair and dripped down her cheeks, creating a purple mess. 

They cackled like the hyenas they were. "Well aren't you going to say anything, freak!?" Someone pushed her from behind, she fell to her knees, only one thought going through her mind. 'It's happening again... why does everyone hate me?' 

They proceeded to kick her and hurtle insults at her from every direction, each word hurt more than if they were psychically injuring her. " She tried to cover her ears, to defend against their verbal attacks but it was useless. With each word and hit she became more panicked and her emotions and power were becoming out of her control. She was hyperventilating, tears pouring down her already paint soaked cheeks.

Nami lifted her hand to signal her friends to cease their kicking and insults. She knelt down and Mirei looked up to her in anguish. "What an ugly scarf, why do you always wear this?" She clutched the end of the now purple spotted scarf. 

"A friend..." Mirei mumbled, out of breathe and still on the floor. 

"Oh? She can talk!" Nami laughed, her minions joining her. "What's this, the freak here says she has a friend." The others burst into laughter again.

"That... that was something precious a friend gave to me so... don't you dare call it ugly!" She attempted to stand, feeling a wave of confidence. 

Unfortunately she was pushed back to the ground by Nami, "what a joke..." she gave the scarf a tug, "give it to me." 

Mirei's eyes widened in realisation, there was no way she would give her something so precious. "No." She also clutched the scarf to secure it safely around her neck. 

"What did you say?" Any trace of a smile had left Nami's face. 

"I said no," Mirei strengthened her resolve and once again returned to her feet. Her bangs fell over her eyes, effectively shadowing the form the others in the room, although the glow of crimson red was unmistakable. All the feelings of despair had been replaced with pure rage. 

"H-Her e-eyes they're-" the girl with grey hair pointed to Mirei shakily. 

"No way... p-please don't kill me!" a boy shouted. 

"What- How... y-you really are a monster," Nami said frozen in place, wide eyed and her mouth agape like an ugly fish.

"Shut up!" Mirei felt adrenaline rush through her veins as she was overcome by rage. She lifted her head, her red eyes and fangs protruding from her mouth. The children screamed in utter horror, running for the door, or any other escape route that would present itself. "Why won't you all just shut up!?" Mirei let a powerful surge of energy, windows shattered instantly, bookshelves toppled over, chairs split in half from the impact, desks were sent flying and in the middle of the mess Mirei stood, shocked by the power she unknowingly possessed. 

The classroom was now eerily silent and it was now that Mirei realised that the room smelt heavily of blood. She scanned the room, blood pooled around her once classmates' bodies, blood had been splattered up the walls, across the floor and mixed with the remnants of the purple of paint creating a magenta puddle at her feet. Hyperventilating, she fell to her hands and knees, blood coating her hands and legs, her head clouded with thoughts. 'I didn't mean it! I didn't want this to happen! But I caused this... this is my fault, I-I killed them.' 

She glanced upwards only to be greeted with the lifeless face of Nami. She had been impaled by several pieces of glass, her once blonde hair was soaked red and her eyes stared into Mirei's as if still blaming her, even in death. Mirei's backed up using the wall behind her to support herself, the sight of all the blood had made her nauseous. She was appalled by the sight of it, but what really disgusted her was how sweet she found the smell and even now she couldn't deny the want to taste some. It looked so delectable, yet she knew it was wrong. 

"I-I'm sorry," her apology fell upon deaf ears, although she knew a simple 'sorry' could never suffice for such gruesome mistake. She heard several footsteps approaching, and voices of teachers. She had to run, if she wanted any chance of leaving undetected. She climbed out of the window, scratching her arm on a piece of glass still attached to the window. She landed on the grass and sprinted towards the open gates of the middle school. 

She ran as fast as her feet would allow, through the small town, only stopping once she had reached a large white house at the end of a dead-end-street. Luscious, green hedges lined the tall fences, a fountain was between the gate and the front door. This mansion clearly belonged to someone wealthy and of high status. This also happened to be Mirei's home. 

She knocked loudly and rapidly on the wooden front door. A butler opened, surprised by her bloody, purple and slightly hysteric state. She quickly slipped inside, pushing past the butler. "Suzuki-sama, are you in need of medical attention?" The butler asked calmly. 

"No, just tell me where Sanako-san is," she said, still stressed and heaving from running. 

"As you wish, Sanako-san is currently located in the library, on level two of the manor," he bowed.

Mirei took off running again, waving in thanks as she climbed the stairs. She threw the doors open, searching the room for Sanako. She spotted her in the far left corner, contently reading a blue book, her long red hair concealing her bright green eyes. "Sanako-san!" Mirei ran towards the lady, who appeared to be middle-aged. Mirei burst into tears, now safely within Sanako's comforting arms. 

"Mirei!? What happened?" she patted her back. 

'"I-I'm sorry," she said between sobs. "I did it again... I'm so sorry!" Mirei looked away, ashamed. 

"It's okay Mirei, look at me," she reached out and guided Mirei's gaze back to her. "You did not hurt them intentionally, correct?" 

"Yeah..." Mirei sniffed. 

"See, I know you blame yourself but there's no reason for that, you did not do this purposefully. And I guess this means we'll have to train you more to control your powers"

"Yes... B-But I killed them and now we'll have to move again... because of me. It's all my fault- if only- if only I was gone then you could relax and-"

"Mirei!" She cut her off, stunning her momentarily at her rare outburst. "Mirei... I see you as my own daughter so I will not tolerate you talking about yourself like that... it hurts me to hear you say that so, for me, will you please never say or think of yourself that way again?" 

"Yeah... I'm sorry, I was being stupid," she dropped her head down. 

"I accept your apology," she ruffled Mirei's hair. "Now... we should get you cleaned up." 

"O-Oh um... yes." 

"Maybe we could read in the library afterwards," Sanako offered. 

"Yes please!" Mirei replied, a mixture of bashfulness and excitement. It was not often that she was allowed the chance to read with Sanako so she wished to cherish the moment.

\- - - - - End of Flashback - - - - - 

I sat upright in bed, sweat and tears dripping down my face, it took a minute to steady my heavy breathing. It was now early evening and although I had slept for hours I still felt as though I had barely been asleep of five minutes. I shifted the covers and got out of bed, heading for the bathroom. My throat was dry and sore and I desperately needed a shower to clear my head. 

After my shower I downed a glass of water with a few blood tablets that had been dissolved, this helped quench my thirst but blood tablets are a poor substitute for the real thing. I was dressed in a black hoodie, blue jeans and black shoes, I left my hair to flow down my back.

I heard someone knocking on the door followed by Yuki's voice, "Mirei-san, are you in there?" 

"No I'm not here, I'm a ghost," I walked to greet her at the door. 

"Oh I see... wait!" She flung the door open to see me snickering at her slowness. 

"Slow as usual I see," I chuckled as she pouted. 

"Hey..." she composed herself, "why weren't you in class today, Mirei-san?" 

"Didn't feel like it," I shrugged. 

"That's no excuse!" she scolded and proceeded to give me a lecture about being a member of the Disciplinary Committee. "Hey um..." she paused as I tuned back in, "does you skipping class have something to do with Takegawa-sensei?" 'Who's Takegawa-sensei? Wait does she mean Hina?' My face darkened, remembering the events of yesterday. "S-Sorry it's just Yori-chan told me what happened and I was concerned and um..." 

"It's fine, I was just tired," I assured her. 

"Okay... but if you have any problems, please come to me!" she offered, confidently, looking me directly in eyes. 

"You really are persistent," I sighed and dragged her out of my room, closing the door behind me. "So where are we going?" 

""Huh? Oh right, I was going to find Zero," she ushered me down the hallway. 

"One more thing Yuki," she shot me a questioning look, "what the hell is that?" I pointed to the white bandage that was wrapped around her neck, making her look ridiculous. 

"H-Hey I don't think it's that bad!" She tried to defend herself, "and Yori-chan said it looked okay!" 

"Then she's either blind or you should consider getting some new friends."

"Yori-chan is a great friend and aren't you my friend as well?" 

"Me? Keep dreaming." We continued bickering until we reached a door, gunfire could be heard on the other side. Yuki opened the door, and we both slipped inside to see Zero shooting a target on the wall. Both Yuki and I covered our ears at the loud sound which, was echoing around the room. 

Zero ceased firing, "exactly how long do you plan on standing there?" 

"But I'm worried about you," Yuki answered as Zero reloaded his gun. "Are you okay now?" 

"It must be tough... being my guardian," he aimed his gun at the target. 

"How are you feeling?" Zero fired in a straight line, the target split in half, the bottom half falling to the floor. "Looks like you've never been better." 

"Quit bandaging your neck like that, it stands out too much," Zero told her. 

"I told you..." I added. 

"But I have to do this! If I use a band-aid, then someone like Aidou-senpai could easily take it off," she argued. "What if someone were to notice?" She brought her hand up to her neck. 'A giant bandage like that is much more noticeable.'

"Like Kaname?" Zero asked, examining a bullet. "If you were going to have your blood sucked anyway, I'm sure you'd rather it have been Kaname instead of me right?" 'He hit the nail on the head... but why do I have this sinking feeling?' "I can tell from your blood, it tasted that way." 

Yuki jumped, grabbing the door, "that's really perverted somehow! It's like you peaked into my heart, I don't like it!" She ran out of the room in a hurry. I rolled my eyes as Zero took another shot, a bullseye. 

"Jeez... she really is foolish, sometimes one can even see another's memories while sucking their blood, it's quite interesting don't you think?" I turned to Zero. He gave me a look of suspicion and disgust. "Not that I would know~" I opened the door and followed after Yuki, using my unnatural sense of smell to pursue her. I trudged lazily through the dark corridors, lit only by dim, yellow lamps. I felt no purpose in chasing Yuki around all night so I took my time. 

I finally found where Yuki was, asleep on a couch in a dark room. Zero also happened to have found Yuki, I stood at the door and watched as he covered her with a blanket. 'I feel kind of weird, standing here, watching them creepily.' 

Kaname appeared beside me, silently watching Zero as well. "It appears we're both stalkers tonight," I whispered to Kaname. "Do you often watch people while they sleep?" He rolled his eyes. I directed my attention back to Zero, who was struggling not to reach out and attack Yuki where she laid. I silently snuck up behind him, leaning forward to whisper in his ear, "you know~ it's not very nice to attack people while they sleep~" 

Zero jumped, letting out a string of curse words. He quickly calmed down and sat down leaning against the couch, sending a glare my way. "What? I just think you should save that stuff for when she's awake, I mean is that not what you have been doing?" I asked trying to sound innocent. 

He opened his mouth, ready to argue with me but Kaname cleared his throat, still standing in the doorway. "Could you come out for a second?" He said, referring to Zero who stood up and followed Kaname outside. I waved them goodbye as Yuki stirred and saw the two left the room.

"You're finally up."

"Mirei-san!" Yuki screeched, startled. I covered my ears at the sudden loud noise. "Sorry Mirei-san, I didn't see you there." 

"No shit," she sweat-dropped at my remark. She gazed at the door, deep in thought before I brought her back to reality. "Come on, let's go back to the dorm." j

"Huh?" She tilted her head. 

"Unless you want to sleep here for the night?" 

"Um! No thank you," she scrambled to her feet.

"That's what I thought."


	10. chapter 10

Mirei's POV

I opened my eyes to the blinding light of the morning sun. I sat up but was immediately assaulted by a searing pain going through my head. 'Curse this fragile human body.' I pushed myself out of bed, ignoring the aching pain that went through my limbs and walked into the bathroom. I drank some water, with a blood tablet of course and got dressed. I looked in the mirror only to find dark circles forming under my eyes and cheeks that were dusted slightly pink. 

By the time I slowly trudged out of my room and found my way to my first class it was nine in the morning, meaning I was half an hour late for Maths. 

I shoved the door open with one hand and strided into the classroom. "Suzuki-san! This is your sixth time being late for my class for the last two weeks!" I flinched at the loudness of the teacher's voice. 

"Tch, so noisy..." I mumbled under my breath, "like I care, shut up and deal with it," I finished still in a not so pleasant mood. I took my usual seat, ignoring the stares I was receiving from the other students. The teacher grumbled under his breath but continued the lesson while I fell asleep at my desk. 

I was awoken by the squeals of desperate fangirls craving the attention of a certain teacher. Yagari-sensei now stood at the front of the classroom, luckily Hina was nowhere in sight. 'Wow I must have been asleep for a while, but I still feel so drowsy.' Yagari-sensei started the lesson but this girl who sat three rows in front of me was squealing about how "hot" he is. My headache had gotten worse and I was becoming more pissed off with every shrill sound that came out of that girl's mouth. 

"Don't you think he looks like, the coolest?" The girl whisper-yelled (I don't know if that's a thing, but if not, it is now) 

"Oh my god yes!" Her friend replied in an equally high-pitched voice. 

"I just wish I could-" 

"Are you done?" I interrupted her. 

She looked to me, enraged, "who do you think you are? how dare you-" I threw my eraser at the girl, hitting her in the centre of her make-up smeared forehead. The rest of the class sniggered as she almost fell off her chair in shock or I may have possibly put more force into that then usual, who knows. 

"Shut the hell up, some of us are trying to sleep," I informed her with a glare, my tone icy. Yagari-sensei sent me a warning glare, "and of course by sleep I mean study," I corrected myself still holding my glare. She audibly gulped and turned back to face the Yagari-sensei. I smirked slightly in satisfaction as I returned my head to the desk.

The rest of the lesson continued in relative silence excluding Yagari-sensei lecturing the class about who knows what. The bell for lunch finally rang and the students filed out of the classroom, me following closely behind. 

I was walking briskly down the hallway when someone tapped me on the shoulder, "Mirei-san, I'm glad I caught up to you," Yuki said between huffs. She straightened herself, "I just thought I should tell you that as a part of the Disciplinary Committee we have to greet Ichijou-san's grandfather." 'I think I've met that old dude once before, he's a member of the Senate. He shouldn't remember me, I hope.'

"Oh I see thanks," I started walking again but Yuki grabbed my sleeve.

"Are you alright Mirei-san? You seem... not like your usual self today," she asked still holding my sleeve.

I agitatedly shook her hand off, "I'm fine, shouldn't you be looking for Zero or Sayori?" I felt a pang of guilt at my words but ignored it.

"Yeah... I guess so... anyway see you later!" She smiled widely, trying to cover up her surprise and discomfort. She waved me goodbye and left in the same direction from which she came. I let out a huff and continued on my way to find somewhere to skip class.

\- - - - - Timeskip because I'm lazy - - - - - 

After battling the fangirls at the gate Yuki, Zero and I made our way to the Moon Dormitory to meet the infamous Ichiou. It was dark now and upon reaching the dorm we saw the door had already been opened and there stood Ichijou and a blonde, cloaked figure which I later distinguished as his grandfather.

As we approached them we heard the end of their conversation, "a friendship built upon a deceptive peace within the confined world of an academy is nothing but..."

"Cross Academy is peaceful!" Yuki intercepted. 

"Yuki-chan?" Ichijou said, surprised as they both turned to see the short brunette. 

"S-So... Please donate a lot of money again this time!" is what the Headmaster said," Yuki finished whilst saluting for some unknown reason. "U-Um you are Ichijou-senpai's grandfather right? We came to get you!" 

Zero and I stepped out of our hiding places as Yuki saluted yet again. "We'll show you the way to the Headmaster's room," Zero spoke up. I took the opportunity to take a closer look at Ichijou's grandfather, he looked young considering his age, he had blonde hair with a matching beard, sharp blue eyes and strangely pointed ears. 

"Very well," Ichijou's grandfather agreed in a deep voice. 

"Ichiou," we heard a voice from above. Kaname stood at the top of the balcony, glancing down at us all. Upon meeting my gaze his eyebrows furrowed slightly but I decided not to question it."I look foward to the day when I shall see you again," he said with a small, very fake smile. 

"As do I, well then..." Ichijou's grandfather bowed out of formality and exited the dormitory, Zero following as Yuki and I stayed behind. 

"Yuki," a warm smile graced Kaname's features. 

Yuki perked up at her name, "Y-Yes?"

"Thank you for your hard work, you as well Suzuki-san." 

I shrugged as Yuki replied, "It's nothing! Um... um... thank you so much for yesterday! Please exuse me," She bowed and ran after Zero and Ichiou. Kaname appeared confused, he turned to me as if asking if I knew what she was talking about.

I shrugged again, "how the hell should I know?" I said, waving as I too left the dormitory although I decided that walking back to my room was the better option as I was becoming increasingly tired and irritable. 

\- - - - - Time skip to morning (sorry I'm using so many time skips) - - - - - 

I fought with myself to get out of bed, my mind was hazy, I had a headache and I just felt like crap. I finally managed to drag myself out of bed, do my daily routine and make my way out the door. I felt unbalanced, ungraceful and would often loose my footing on my way to class, an unusual feeling for a vampire. 

I decided that going to class was useless so instead I set out to find somewhere secluded and tranquil to take a nap, hopefully for the rest of the day. The hallways were quiet as class was already well in session. I wondered aimlessly not having a reason to rush. 

I heard footsteps in front of me and lifted my head to greet Kaname. "What's someone like you doing outside at a time like this?" I asked trying my best to sound like normal but I was clearly failing. 

"I could say the same for you," he responded. "Although, it is not uncommon for you to skip classes." 

"Whatever, kindly move aside so that I may continue to skip classes," I attempted to push past him but felt a wave of dizziness overcome me. I reached out for something to steady myself, after steading my now shaky legs I realised that in my haste, I had latched onto Kaname. "A-Ah sorry-" I tried to let go but ended up almost falling over again. Kaname put his arm around my waist, to support me. 'I hate feeling this weak! I haven't been this helpless since I was a small child.' 

"You seem unwell," Kaname interrupted my mental sulking. 'What was it that gave it away? The falling?' He seemed genuinely concerned but my conscience told me to be wary. "I am completely fine, now if you'll just let me go-" 

"You will just cause yourself injury, it's better if you just go to the infirmary."

"There's no way I'm go to see a nurse, besides I don't want to scare the nurse to death if she were to find out I'm a vampire," I struggled to escape his grasps but it was hopeless. 'Curse this human body!' 

"I'm sorry about this," Kaname lifted his hand to my forehead. 'He's not going to make me fall asleep just because I currently have a human body, right? Nevermind he is.' I reached my hand up to stop his hand before it reached my forehead, we struggled for a minute before I finally lost my strength.

"Don't you dare!" Just because I'm in this state doesn't mean you can- bastard!" I yelled at him as I felt my body go limp and I slipped into darkness.


	11. chapter 11

Kaname's POV

I carried Mirei bridal style through the corridors towards the Moon Dormitories. I would have taken her to the infirmary but she did have a valid point, the nurse would have to have her mind erased if she were to find out that Mirei is a vampire and that would just be a bother. I opened the door to the dorm with little trouble, Ichijou, Ruka and Hanabusa were all sitting in the living room. 

Ruka stood to greet me, "Kaname-sama, welcome ba-" her eyes widened at the sight of me carrying Mirei. She looked away, refusing to meet my gaze. 

Ichijou appeared surprised but soon recovered and gave me his usual bright smile, "Welcome back Kaname." 

"Thank you," I gave him a curt nod and continued my way up the stairs and to my room. It was dark in my room, the curtains closed, books and papers were scattered around the floor. I slowly laid her down onto the large red lounge in the centre of my room. I searched a nearby cupboard, finally finding a blanket, I placed on top of her sleeping form. 

Her face was red from her fever and her breathing heavy. I sighed, reaching down to move a few strands of her soft hair which had fallen out of place. 'She really is quite troublesome.' I sat in a nearby chair, gazing out the window, deep in thought. Sometimes I would read one of the many letters I had tossed aside only to return the paper to its place on the floor.

I had been sitting by the window for a few hours now, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon beautiful orange and pink sky, soon it would be time for class and I would have to leave Mirei alone in my room. I was stirred from my thoughts by the sound of Mirei mumbling in her sleep, I approached the lounge to see her twisting around in her sleep and mumbling things that to me, seemed incoherent. 'I wonder what kind of nightmare she could be having?' 

I tried to wake her, shaking her shoulder slightly, I called out to her, "Suzuki-san." She continued to writhe around. "Suzuki-san," I said this time louder, still no response. "Mirei!" She jolted foward, I moved backwards to avoid a collision at her sudden movement. 

She was looking around the room frantically, her breathing rapid. The windows were cracking, close to shattering. I placed a concerned hand on her shoulder. She flinched, grabbing my hand with her shaking one, she swung her body around to face me. I was immediately assaulted with heavy presence, a Pureblood's, Mirei's. 'So this is what she has been hiding, I will have to keep a closer eye on her.' 

"K-Kaname..." It was now that I noticed her cheeks were streaked with tears. Her eyes were wide with fright, her grip tightened around my hand.

"Suzuki-san it's just me, you're safe," I assured her. The windows stopped to crack and slowly, her breathing evened out. She let go of my hand, gazing blankly into her lap. "Are you-" I reached out to touch the side of her face but my hand was battered away. 

"I'm fine!" Her sharp words surprised me. "Just a bad dream..." She bundled her hands in her lap, refusing eye contact. A few minutes of silence passed before she faced me once again, "s-sorry," she murmured so softly that it was almost inaudible. 

"I'm sorry, what was that?" 

"You heard me! I'm not repeating myself," she tried to cover up her embarrassment. I found myself holding back a chuckle. "What are you smiling for? It's creepy." She pointed her finger accusingly at me. "By the way, shouldn't you be getting to class? It's almost dusk." 

"So it is," I let out a huff and prepared to leave my room and greet the Night Class who were waiting below. Strangely I felt that I did not want to leave my room, or more specifically Mirei. She peeled back the blankets and attempted to get up but I gently pushed her back down again. "You should get some more rest, you still have a fever," I informed her, ignoring the glare I was receiving.

I made my way to the door, but she still tried to argue, "I'm fine now, so if you'll excuse me-"

"Just stay and rest, at least until I return," I interrupted her, opening my door and leaving her in my room while I went to join the Night Class before class started. 

Mirei's POV

I watched Kaname leave, silently closing his heavy bedroom door. I heard him make his way downstairs and into the living room with the other Night Class students. I let out an exhausted sigh, and rubbed my temples which were still sore. 'I hate being so weak, and why did he have to see that, of all people?' My mind started to wander back to my dream or rather nightmare from which I had just woken but I shook my head to clear it of any thoughts of the past. 

I stood from where I sat on the lounge, carelessly tossing the blanket aside. His room was dark, the curtains drawn, letters which I assume had once been scattered had now been raked into a pile on the floor. A chess board was set up on a small table, I picked up one of the chess pieces, a black bishop. I stroked it in curiosity, I had never learnt to play chess but I always wished I had.

I was pulled from my thoughts as I sensed a presence close by. I whirled my head around to look out the large window at the back of the room, there, perched on a branch, sat a pitch black crow with beady red eyes. I narrowed my eyes, someone was using the bird to spy on their target, but who was their target?

"It's not very polite to stare," I sent it a glare towards the bird, it immediately took flight, flapping its large wings about, probably startled. 

I turned back to Kaname's room and searched for anything that might pique my interest but alas I found nothing particularly entertaining. I considered staying and resting more but ultimately I followed my objectionable nature, besides I felt much better than earlier. I opened the the window and paused a moment, enjoying the feeling of the cold night air, my black hair swaying with the breeze. I swiftly leapt from the window, smiling at the sudden rush I felt from jumping from such a height. I landed safely on the ground outside the Moon Dormitories and continued to jump over the tall, brick wall separating the Night Class from the Day Class.

\- - - - - Time Skip to Late Morning - - - - - 

Astronomy was probably one of the most boring classes in existence, I sat irritably at the back of the classroom while the old, bald teacher rambled on about constellations and the galaxy, often going off on multiple tangents which were hard to follow. I felt much better than the previous day but still retained the occasional ache or light-headedness. Thankfully, this teacher payed little attention to the class making it easy for me to sleep.

Class ended and I stood to exit but Yuki stood in front of me, "I'm glad to see you're looking better, Mirei-san." 

"Yeah..." I nodded.

"Shall we go?" she said excitedly as she lead me to the cross over to complete our duties as members of the Disciplinary Committee. 

The girls were more hyper than usual, chatting and gossiping about who they wanted to dance with. 'I guess there's a school dance coming up, I think I'll try to skip that.' Yuki seemed lost in thought as she stood in front of a horde of rowdy Day Class students. Zero and I kept the other side of the path in check. 

"Hey, stop spacing out," Zero scolded Yuki. 

"I-I'm sor-" Yuki was interrupted as she was almost bulldozed over by a group of overly excited fangirls. "Everyone please step back!" She had to physically push the girls back into place. "Why are they so restless today?" 

"It's that annoying event again..." Zero answered. 

"Annoying event?" I inquired but was ignored as the door opened and the screams of the girls grew even louder than before, how that was possible, I don't know. 

A girl tried to slip past Zero in the commotion, "if you move even one more step ahead of me, I'll make you cry," Zero threatened the girl who fell to her knees. The girls around her yelled encouraging words but Zero sent them a glare as well as another warning, "Stop causing me trouble." I laughed as the girls all ceased their yelling. 

I turned my attention back to my part of the group who were still yelling at the top of their lungs. "Oi you're hurting my ears with your incessant screeching!" I was ignored as they continued to try for the attention of someone in the Night Class. "Hey idiots!" I tried again. I let out a sigh of frustration before yelling once more, "hey all of imbeciles, instead of wasting your puny lives screaming like banshees why don't you all go and apologise to whichever tree is producing oxygen for you to live!?" I glared intently at all of them, they were immediately silenced. "Good, now scram!" I yelled once more as the girls all ran in various directions. 

Now that I had dealt with those screaming morons, I whirled around to see Yuki pushed down the path, through the gates and towards the Night Class. I laughed, as Hanabusa whisked her into the building, shutting the door on the group of fangirls. I heard a groan from the fangirls as they made their way back to their own dorm. 

I turned to Zero, still amused. "That idiot..." he mumbled, "come on lets go fetch her." 

"Sure," I followed him as we made our way to the building. Zero opened the door, finding Yuki still standing there with Hanabusa and dragged her outside by her arm. Through the semi-open door I sent mocking smile to the Night Class but more specifically Kaname. 

Later that night Yuki and I were standing in the Headmaster's office. Yuki was arguing with Headmaster Kaien about something to do with Zero, I'm not entirely sure as I zoned out. 

I was drawn back into the conversation at the mention of a transfer student, "could you two show her around the campus?" He asked. "She's been unwell so she has been recuperating in her villa in the mountains and hasn't been able to attend school until now." I sighed, 'this sounds like a pain.' 

We heard a knock at the door, "this must be her now." The Headmaster said. The door opened to reveal a petite girl wearing the Night Class uniform, she had long silver hair and matching silver eyes. I immediately knew something was strange about this girl, 'I can feel it, she's a Pureblood but she's trying to hide it.' I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. 

"Um hello," she entered the room fully, putting on an innocent facade. 

"Night Class?" Yuki asked, shocked. 

"Her name is Kurenai Maria," the Headmaster informed us with a smile. "Kurenai-san, this is my daughter Yuki and this is Suzuki Mirei, a member of the Disciplinary Committee. 

"Nice to meet you," Yuki bowed whereas I just nodded in acknowledgment. 'I don't like this girl she gives me the creeps.' 

"What a delicious smelling girl, and she looks so healthy too," Maria mumbled. The Headmaster sprung to life, waving his arms about. 

"Hey! Those words are forbidden at this academy!" He scolded while she played dumb. 'What an irritating person.' 

"Please forgive me," she smiled 'innocently' at Yuki, "nice to meet you, Yuki-san," Yuki returned the smile. "Oh and you, Mirei-san." 

"Whatever, just don't call me that, call me Suzuki-san." 

Her smile widened, "I see... Suzuki-san," Yuki lead her outside as I trailed behind them. 

"The library is over there," Yuki pointed down a dim hallway as we walked through the many corridors of the school. "And straight ahead is the classroom the Night Class is using tonight." Maria stopped, "what's the matter?" 

"Yuki-san, if I told you I was really scared of transferring to this academy would you believe me?" 'No.' "I just know I'll be ostracised for being such a weak vampire," she finished softly. 'Weak my ass.' "See I knew you wouldn't believe me!" she covered her face with her hands. 

"Oh no, I was just surprised," Yuki assured her, "um, but I think you'll be fine. The Dorm President and Vice President are both really nice, besides," she grabbed Maria's hands. "You can always come to me or the Headmaster if anything happens, we will definitely help you!" 

"Just don't come complaining to me that those 'scary' vampires are bullying you," I shoved my hands in my pockets, still standing behind her. 

"Mirei-san! Don't be mean!" Yuki scolded as I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. "Anyway as I was saying," she turned back to Maria with a smile, "don't worry Maria-san, you'll be fine." 

Maria pulled her into a hug, "Thank you, Yuki-san." She played with her hair before pulling her into another hug, her voice now losing its softness. 'Are you finally going to show your true colours?' "I... really love people like you."

We continued walking, I watched the moon outside as we walked past tall windows but made sure to watch Maria in the corner of my eye. Yuki was happily showing Maria around the classroom and did not notice Maria slip away.

"And this up here is-" 

"Hey Yuki," I interrupted. 

"Yeah?" She turned to me confused. 

"Who exactly are you talking to?" 

"What do you mean?... She gone!?" Yuki looked around, stunned. 

"You just noticed..." Yuki looked at me, irritated. 

"If you knew why didn't you tell me!?" 

"I thought you were enjoying being a tour guide too much to ruin your fun," I said shrugging. 

"That's not the point- Nevermind let's go find her," she ran down the hall calling out her name. 'I suppose I had better follow her, technically I could tell Yuki where she is but... I don't want to see the Night Class.' 

After a while of searching Yuki finally gave up, we stood on a rooftop above the forest. Yuki spotted Zero leaning against a tree, she jumped off the roof with me following. 

"Why are you slacking off again Zero!?" She slapped his shoulder. 

"What are you doing outside-" He was interrupted by Yuki.

"Oh, I just heard from the Headmaster, the girl you saved the other day had her memories erased and now she's doing fine," Yuki informed Zero. "Are you happy to hear that?" 

"Not really, it's not like I went after that Level E because I wanted to save her or anyone else, my intentions are completely irrelevant." Yuki cast her gaze down, "It was just a job." 

Yuki leant against the tree, facing away from Zero. "Well if you're fine with that then it's okay, for some reason you always make all your decisions by yourself. You've been ignoring your studies... that's why you went off on that mission alone, right? Going off to hunt a vampire is a really big deal yet you didn't say a word to me when you disappeared from campus without a word." A felt like I should have left when they started talking but I lost my chance and was stuck listening to them awkwardly. "Who do you think is worried about you the most?" 'Stuff it, I'm leaving,' I tried to edge away from them as casually as possible. I was several metres away before Yuki hit Zero in the chest, "but I still believe in you, okay?" 

"Why you-" he coughed. I turned my head feeling the familiar presence of Maria. Her hair flowed in the wind as Zero stared, wide eyed at her. For some reason I felt the need to be defensive around her and found it hard to keep my presence as a Pureblood from leaking out. 

"Maria-san! What's wrong?" Yuki asked. 

Maria fiddled wiht her hair, "I think I went a little overboard with my pranks, everyone seems to hate me now." 'Good.'

Zero reached into his coat and pulled out his anti-vampire gun, Bloody Rose. "You can't!" Yuki stood between Maria and Zero. Maria hid behind Yuki like a frightened child, peering over her shoulder. "What's gotten into you Zero?" 'I don't blame him for pulling out his gun, if I had my daggers with me I might have tried to throw one at her... I take that back, there is no might, I would have thrown my daggers at her.' 

"No... who are you?" Zero asked Maria, lowering his gun. 'I wonder if he knows her from somewhere?'

"Nice to meet you, my name is Kurenai Maria," Zero put his gun away and Yuki turned to Maria, clasping her hands in a friendly manner. 

"I'm sorry if we startled you, he's also a guardian of this academy, my partner Kiryu Zero," Yuki explained. "He doesn't usually go this far... ah no maybe he does."

"It's my fault for wandering around without permission, I'm sorry," she put a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "Thank you for protecting me Yuki-san, you're such a good girl." 'Not creepy at all...' "I really like you," she moved her hand to Yuki's neck, "I know very well... that the blood of people like you is very delicious." She turned away from Yuki and began skipping away, "be nice to each other, okay?" 

Zero stalked off, still looking defensive and Yuki chased after him, trying to ask him why he had drawn his gun. Now alone, I glared into space, confused as to why that girl was here. 'She pisses me off.' I looked up to the rooftop to see Hanabusa staring down at me, I sent him a smirk. He jumped a little, startled that I had noticed him. I chuckled at his reaction and left to go to my room and hopefully get a decent amount of sleep. 

\- - - - - Timeskip to Next Day - - - - - 

The day went as usual, Zero skipped most classes, I fell asleep only to be woken by the teacher and asked to solve various problems which, I solved with ease much to the annoyance of the teacher. In the afternoon, the fangirls were even louder than the previous day, screaming the names of the members of the Night Class, asking them to dance and just being the definition of a headache. 

I patrolled by myself tonight, I did not want to listen to Yuki's constant ramblings. I strolled around the academy until I reached an old building, there by the pond, sat Hanabusa and Akatsuki. I hid behind a tree, out of sight but still close enough so that I could still hear what they were saying. 

"There appears to be nothing suspicious about her," Akatsuki said, holding a file. "She doesn't seem to fear anything though..." 

"Say Akatsuki... have you ever met that person?" 'Oh, this sounds like it could be interesting.'

"That person?" 

"The Pureblood who was forced to conceal her appearance due to being mentally imbalanced, despite having a lineage equal to that of the Kuran family. I'm talking about Hiou Shizuka." 'I know her, or rather I know of her... my mother, when she was still somewhat sane, mentioned her a few times.'

"Her whereabouts have been unknown ever since that incident at the Kiryu household," Akatsuki added. 'I get it... Hanabusa thinks that Maria is actually Shizuka. Well... it's definitely not impossible.' "Some have even said that she died. Unfortunately, I've never seen her before, so what about her?" 

"No... nothing," Hanabusa looked down in thought. 'It's a rare sight for Hanabusa to take something so seriously. 

I decided to make my appearance, "what's this, gossiping like a bunch of school girls?" 

"Suzuki-san?" Akatsuki was surprised by my presence, Hanabusa however seemed to have already known I was there for some time. 'He's smarter than he looks, that blondey.'

"You two sure seem curious about Maria, although I don't blame you after all, she..." I considered telling them that she is a Pureblood but it seemed more fun this way. "No... never mind, I'm sure that you two are smart enough to work that out by yourselves, right?" 

"Work what out exactly?" Hanabusa asked, annoyance evident in his voice. 

"But I thought you were smart, oh well I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell you... alright listen closely..." They both leaned forward, curious as to what I knew. "You see... I am almost certain that... Maria Kurenai..." I drew it out for effect, they both leaned closer, "wears a wig!" I announced dramatically. 

Hanabusa became irritated while just Akatsuki sweat dropped, "are you serious Suzuki-san?" 

I struggled to stifle my laughter, "I c-can't believe you took me so seriously! And your faces were hilarious!" I could no longer hold in my laughter. Hanabusa was glaring at me, "is someone a little angry?" 

"I wouldn't push it Suzuki-san," Akatsuki warned me. I let out a huff as I calmed myself. 

"But seriously, be careful of Maria, she is not who she seems that is for sure," Hanabusa was no longer annoyed, at least outwardly but he seemed to be contemplating my warning. 

"What do you mean by-" I cut Hanabusa off.

"Well I had best be going, next time you skip class to gossip, do include me!" I waved goodbye, disappearing into the dark forest.


	12. chapter 12

Mirei's POV

I let out a large yawn, stretching as Yuki, Zero, Sayori and I walked to our next class. My stomach rumbled loudly alerting everyone to my hunger or rather thirst. 

"Very ladylike," Zero commented sarcastically. I poked my tongue out at him as Yuki sweat-dropped at our behaviour.

"Are you hungry Mirei-san? Here, I have a muesli bar leftover from-" Yuki started digging through her pockets.

"Don't bother wasting that on me, I'm fine," I assured her.

"Okay... but you're hungry so you should have something to eat, or is it that you just don't like muesli bars?" Yuki tried to convince me, probably concerned for my health.

"Something like that..." I muttered under my breath. 

"Yuki, you look really tired," Sayori said, distracting Yuki from my unwillingness to eat the muesli bar.

"The students have been really persistent in their attempts to reach the Night Class," Yuki informed her, "right Zero?"

"Yeah," he nodded. 

"I guess it can't be helped with the ball coming up," Sayori added.

"Sounds like a waste of time to me," I told them.

"Yeah I guess you're right, I'm actually more worried about final exams than the ball," Yuki said, her voice wavering slightly. 

"That's unexpected, I thought you would be more interest in-" I was rudely interrupted from someone behind us.

"I am genuinely troubled by those words, Cross Yuki-kun," we all turned to see the Day Class President adjusting his glasses as he spoke in an annoyed but proud tone. 'Yuki-kun?' "The ball is a tradition here at Cross Academy and the class that receives the lowest score in the final exams held just before it, is required to help out backstage."

"What!?" Yuki asked, surprised at his sudden rant. 

"I'm really worried Cross Yuki-kun... because you always lower the average of my class." 

"President, that's a really cruel thing to say," Sayori informed him calmly. 

"So Yuki-san, I didn't realise you were that bad at your studies," I said, amused. 

"You have no right to criticise her Suzuki Mirei-san, you played connect-the-dots with the answer sheet on our last exam!" The President yelled. 'I don't really remember that but... it sounds like something I'd do.' "Anyhow, the ball is an important official event attended by both Day and Night Classes, if you cause me to lose this opportunity to dance with Ruka-san... I will curse you for the rest of my life!" He raised his fist before running off down the path. I snickered at his attempt at a threat. 

"This is bad, I'll have to study as if my life depends on it," Yuki said while hugging her books. "Otherwise, I'll definitely fail the exams." 

"What about asking your father to find you an excellent tutor?" Sayori suggested. But Zero and I weren't listening, we were both preoccupied with the presence of a certain vampire nearby, we looked to the left, seeing her running happily through the courtyard. 

"What's wrong?" Yuki inquired. 

"You mustn't go there!" I heard the soft but urgent voice of Ichijou, accompanied by the squeals of and gasps of Day Class students. "The Day Class is in the middle of classes right now! Seriously... this could be bad," I heard him murmur the last part under his breath. "Maria!" He chased after the silver-haired girl who was skipping over a bridge. 

"I only wanted to have a peek at the cafeteria," she stopped in the middle, "this is so much fun!" She declared, staring directly at Zero who seemed uneasy. Maria was chased away by Ichijou but Yuki looked to Zero curiously. 

"What is the Night Class doing here?" Yuki went to run after them but Zero grabbed her arm. 

"Don't go near that transfer student," he said in a serious tone, "the Dorm Vice-President will take care of it." Yuki agreed reluctantly.

"Wise advice for once Zero, I'm so proud," I patted his shoulder and avoided his hand as he attempted to swat mine away. 

"Tch, shut up," I chuckled at his irritableness, although I was still a little on edge from Maria's sudden appearance. 'Just what is that girl planning?' 

"Yuki-chan! Mirei-san! Good afternoon," Hanabusa greeted, as a mass squeal erupted from the Day Class girls. I covered my ears in an attempt to ward off potential deafness but I fear my ears may be permanently damaged. Hanabusa continued, "this would be the third time we've met during the day." 

He stretched his arms around Yuki and I, bringing us close to his chest in an awkward hug. Yuki struggled, "Aidou-senpai!?" She continued to squirm as the girls around us cried out in jealousy. 

"I hope their jealousy drives them insane and causes them to bully you, Yuki-chan, Mi-" He stopped as soon as he saw my face. 

I glared fiercely at him, "let go of me now or your insides will become your outsides," I finished icily. He hastily released Yuki and I from his hold, pretending not to be shaken by my words. 'I guess even in this form lower vampires are still inherently scared of me.'

"Aidou-senpai... may I see you for a minute?" Zero approached him. 

"Ah? What good timing, I actually have something to ask you as well," Hanabusa said, smiling widely at Zero. 

Zero started to follow Hanabusa before he turned back to us, "Yuki, be extra careful of Kurenai Maria." 

"You too! You'd better not get in a fight, you hear!?" She yelled back.

"Oh and Mirei-san, I'd like to speak with you too!" Hanabusa called, now standing before a corridor. 

"Hm? I guess I could come along, seeing as I have nothing better to do," I trailed behind them in awkward silence as we made our way to a random rooftop. 

"Hmm..." Hanabusa peered over the edge of the balcony. "None of the female students dare to come anywhere near you, huh?" He aimed his question towards Zero. "That's really convenient for times like this, but also a bit lonely... so?" 

"Is Kurenai Maria related to that woman?" Zero asked, getting straight to the point. I leaned against the wall as I watched their conversation ensue. 

"That woman?" 

"Hiou Shizuka," Zero spat. 

A breeze rolled through, tousling our hair, "how rude, to address a revered Pureblood by her name alone... but I guess it can't be helped. She was the one who brutally murdered your family after all," Hanabusa finished, glancing sideways at Zero. 'So Shizuka must have been the one to turn Zero into a Level E.' "Well whatever, Kurenai is an old distant relative of Hiou, that's all there is to it." 

"For four years, no one was able to uncover anything on her whereabouts, isn't that because she changed her appearance?" 'Zero is smarter than he lets on.' 

"I don't know about that, only a Pureblood can know the full extent of another Pureblood's powers," Hanabusa jumped onto the top of a pointy pillar, balancing perfectly. "Anyway, more importantly, what are your feelings towards her?" 

"Why?" Zero asked dryly. 

"For the sake of the peace of the Night Class?" Hanabusa answered although it sounded more like a question. 

"Stop fooling around." 

"Only you can tell," Hanabusa turned to face Zero, "for you share a bond of blood with her... you're the only one." 

Zero whipped his body around to face the window above us, Maria stood with her hand pressed to the glass. 'I guess that proves Hanabusa's theory, although it seems a little farfetched, as a fellow Pureblood I know that it is possible. 

Maria left, twirling as she went. Zero left shortly after, no longer able to put up with Hanabusa's... well just Hanabusa. 

"So Mirei-san..." 

I shifted my gaze to meet Hanabusa's, "what is it you want to ask?" 

He sighed, sending me a smile, "tell me, how is it that someone who is neither a hunter nor a vampire could know so much about us?" 

"How...?" I looked down as if contemplating an answer. "You see... I have this amazing power that no human or vampire knows of... would you like to know what it's called?" Hanabusa nodded for me to continue, "It's called... none of your none of your fucking business, halfwit." 

"Me? A halfwit!?" He seemed offended but I knew he was just growing impatient. 

"Pftt, You really hate the unknown, don't you Hanabusa?" 

"Doesn't everyone?" 

"Hmm... maybe but, have you never heard the saying ignorance is bliss?" 

"Of course I have but do you honestly- hey! stop distracting me! Answer my question." I had to refrain from chuckling outwardly, though it was hard. 

"To be honest, I think in this situation ignorance is bliss. You see, if you knew, you would really regret treating me so casually and hugging me earlier." I informed him to which he only rolled his eyes.

"Sure sure~ why exactly will I regret hugging you?" 

"Because I have girl cooties." 

"I see you, are not going to take this conversation seriously," he grumbled. 

"Hypocritical coming from you but, no, I'm not taking this seriously." He let out a huff of frustration but gestured for me to leave. "What sick of me already?" He ignored me and instead took his leave. 'This is no good, I can't have people becoming suspicious of me... although it could be more fun this way.'

\- - - - - Timeskip to Afternoon - - - - -

For once the change over was fairly peaceful and I was enjoying the absence of the noisy fangirls. 

"Not too many people today," Yuki commented. 

"That's because the exams are tomorrow," Zero said. 

"That's right! The lowest scoring class ends up with backstage duties and we can't attend the ball," Yuki fretted. 

Yuki tried to sneak away, "are you that eager to leave?" Zero questioned her.

She swung around, sticking her hands in the air, trying to find an excuse. "Oh not really, I mean, we have our Disciplinary Committee duties and the Class President is fussy about that, what should I do? " 

"You know Yuki, you always complain that Zero skips his duties too often, but could it be that you are the same?" I leant on her, using her shoulder as an armrest.

"What- No... um I mean-" She was cut off by the gate opening to reveal the Night Class. Yuki lined up next to Zero and I followed as to not lose my armrest. As Kaname passed he gave us, well it was probably for Yuki, a smile which quickly faded. Maria trailed behind the group, only stopping in front of Yuki. I sent her a glare which she ignored and reached out to touch Yuki's hair. 

Zero forcefully pulled Yuki away from Maria's touch. Maria only smiled, some would say innocently but I knew there were cruel intentions under that mask. Zero dragged Yuki further into the forest, leaving me to continue the night patrol alone.

I wandered through the dark school grounds aimlessly, the light from the moon was weak but this did not impair my vision in the slightest. I was admiring the water flowing in the fountain, dipping my hand in to feel the cool liquid. The trees around me were still, there was no breeze and yet I heard a rustle. 'Someone is watching me.' The sound was coming from a tree above me, it's thick leaves shielded the person from view.

Clutching one of my daggers, Yoake in my coat, I called out to the mystery person. "Why don't you show yourself? Or maybe you're just a coward?"

The person jumped from the tree, I caught a glimpse of gold as the person attacked me. The sound of metal hitting metal rang throughout the forest. They jumped, landing skilfully in front of me. Now I was able to see the face of my attacker, "Hina!?"

"You really are one of them," she said darkly, wiping some dirt from her cheek. 

"I think we've already established that I'm one of 'them' haven't we?" I asked, a mixture of shocked and annoyed. 

"Yes well... I just had to make sure, but fortunately you are one of them, which means I will have no regrets in taking my revenge."

"What are-" My question was answered when she lunged at me. I dodged her staff as she aimed for my shoulder, I grabbed the end of it, flinching as massive shock went through my arm as I swung the staff around with her still attached. I cringed slightly as she hit the base of a tree after I let go. "You know you cannot kill me, I am too powerful."

She coughed slightly as she picked herself up, "Maybe so, but in this form you are weaker and to use your powers would result in your identity being exposed." She smirked as she knew I had been cornered. 

I pulled out my other dagger, Yuugure, out of my coat, "Well this is your last chance to back out." 

"Like hell I'm backing out now," she glared at me before taking another swing. She was fast, I'll give her that. Not many hunters have this kind of speed. I found myself ducking and dodging, sometimes narrowly escaping the pointed end of her staff. 

It was hard not to rely on my powers but I managed to cope, making a few shallow cuts to her arms and abdomen. I had only suffered a minor injury to my upper arm, the stinging reminded me that I was fighting against someone wielding an anti-vampire weapon. I couldn't just heal a wound from this weapon instantly, if I am cut too deeply, I will die. 

We were both starting to tire, I had gone without blood for some time and I was beginning to regret it. Her attacks were becoming sloppy but she become more passionate, putting more power in every swing. 

"Tell me what have I done to make you hate me so much?" I knew her response would only hurt me further but I had to know. 

"What... What have you done!?" She yelled, panting. "You ruined my life! You... it's your fault they're- Y-You... Monster! I wish I had never met you!" She screamed at me, putting the last of her energy into one final strike. I froze momentarily, stunned by her harsh words, my mother had once said something similar. I snapped back to reality a little too late and managed to dodge her attack but not unscathed. I had gained a large gash across my torso which would take some time to heal, even longer in my current human form. 

"Ah!" I tried to contain my scream. I had remained standing, although extremely painful, I was somehow able to push that to the back of my head as I needed to escape from her. I ran through the forest, my breathing heavy and my vision slightly blurred. I could feel hunger starting to take over. 'Shit, I need to get to my room.' 

I thought Hina would have followed me but she must have used up the last of her energy or I had just lost her. I stopped at a tree near the edge of the forest, looking down I saw blood had soaked my hoodie. 'Dammit, this is my favourite hoodie.'

'Hopefully none of the Night Class turn up because they smell my blood.' I trudged towards the Sun Dormitory trying my hardest to stay quiet although this proved difficult as I would often get sharp pains from the open wound. Finally upon reaching my room, I stumbled around trying to find something to use as bandages. Eventually I found an old shirt which I ripped and tied around my waist, the cut was not very deep but it was long. I wet a cloth to clean the area around it as best I could and consumed all the blood tablets in my possession which, did very little to satisfy my hunger. 

I stood in my bathroom, staring into the mirror. My face was pale, my hair messy and my eyes shinning, a crimson red. "I'll need to get that under control," I muttered to myself. I laid in bed, unable to sleep as no matter which way I turned I was unable to find a comfortable position. I gave up on sleep and instead rummaged through my draws to find a small, blue jewellery box decorated with purple sequins. I opened the lid, taking out the small flower hair clip, my first and only birthday present. 

I laid back on my bed, clutching the pink hair clip to my chest. Silent tears fell, 'why did it turn out like this? What did I do wrong?' I sobbed softly, wishing for sleep to overcome me but it wasn't until morning that I finally fell asleep.


	13. chapter 13

Mirei's POV

I woke late that morning, feeling drained to say the least. There was still a relatively large gash across my stomach which, was healing slowly and the pain was gnawing at my body and mind. I carefully pushed myself out of bed, flinching at the lingering pain in my abdomen.

I shifted my weight so that I could make my way to the bathroom to get ready for school. I searched the cupboards for more blood tablets but my efforts were futile. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and noticed my eyes were shining a bright red. I sighed, taking a few deep breathes and didn't leave my room until I was sure I could keep my eyes under control. But for an extra precaution I put on a jacket with a hoodie so that I could hide my eyes if needed.

I trudged into class halfway through second period, managing to anger the maths teacher. Letting out a slight groan of pain, I took my seat in the back and tried to tune out the rest of the world. 

The teacher cleared his throat, successfully getting my attention and pointed to the blackboard behind him where he had written 'Exam' in large lettering. I sighed and opened the exam only to stare at it blankly. I found myself thinking of how hungry I was, or rather thirsty. The wound had taken a lot of my energy and I was starting to really feel the aftereffect. I looked out the window to distract myself but I could still hear the heart beats of every student in the class, with each beat it was becoming more difficult to control myself. I looked back to the class which, was a mistake. I could see the veins and arteries in all of them, it was like someone had held a light up to a thin piece of paper except it wasn't paper but skin. No matter where I looked, I could see them. Every time a student moved their hand or even breathed, I was acutely aware of how the blood was passing through their veins. 

I pulled my hood over my face, burrowed my head into my arms, closing my eyes I tried my hardest to clear my mind but it wasn't working and I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate. 

"-zuki-san... Suzuki-san!" A voice broke through the thoughts swirling in my head. I lifted my head to see the teacher, with an annoyed expression. "Suzuki-san, why are you not doing your test?" 

The teacher waited, arms crossed, for my response but all I think about was the blood flowing through his veins as he breathed in and out. 

"Suzuki-san?" He stared at me, confused as did the rest of the class. Some even glared at me as they needed the class to get a good result so they could go to the ball. 'I can't stay here any longer, no without losing control.'

I stood from my seat abruptly, "I-I need to go." I swiftly made my way through the seats and out the classroom doors, ignoring the yells from my teacher and classmates. 

I made my way down some corridors, not really heading anywhere certain. I finally found myself between two buildings near the courtyard where had Maria and Hanabusa had been the previous day. I rested my back against one of the walls and squeezed my eyes closed as I felt not only another wave of hunger but a sharp pain from my abdomen.

The sound of a bell echoed through the buildings signalling that it was time for lunch. I could hear the chattering of anxious students, discussing the test which they had all just taken. I backed further down the space between the buildings making sure no one would come near me, I don't want to risk attacking someone. With every movement, a new pain would shoot through my body, I tried hard not to scream out in pain. 

The squeals of Day Class girls reached my ears, they excitedly watched as Kaname and Ichijou walked through the courtyard. 'What the hell are they doing here?' 

Still slouched against the wall, I managed to slow my breathing as they drew near. As their footsteps reached the space where I was hiding Kaname stopped, followed by Ichijou. 

"What's wrong Kaname?" I heard Ichijou ask, concerned. 'Shit, I need to get out of here.'

"Nothing... you go back to the dorm without me, I have something I need to do," Kaname informed him.

"Sure..." Ichijou left, obviously choosing not to question Kaname any further. Kaname now walked between the buildings, towards me. I had nowhere to run or hide, I was trapped. 

By the time he reached me I was sitting with my back against the wall, staring up at his large figure. He stood in silence for a few seconds before speaking calmly, "did you know that-" 

"My eyes are red, I know," I interjected, straight-fowardly. I attempted to lift myself up but my legs did not want to support my weight and the pain in my stomach intensified. "What do you want?" I glared at him, not out of anger but pain. 

"Look at you, you can barely control yourself... What could make your thirst for blood so-" He stopped himself mid sentence as he sniffed the air slightly. "I smell blood..." 

"So, some Day Class student probably just gave themselves a paper cut." 

"No... I smell your blood," he said, his eyebrows furrowed. 

"You must be mistaken I-" It was then I noticed that his eyes were glued to my abdomen. I myself, looked down to see blood had started to seep through my shirt. 'Crap, my wound must have reopened.' "This is just... um..." I fumbled my words as Kaname kneeled down and reached out a hand. I considered batting his hand away but for some reason I kind of wanted to see what he would do. He gently lifted my top only so that you could see my stomach which was covered in bloody bandages. 

He let go of my shirt, straightened up and I saw something in his eyes but I couldn't figure out what it was, maybe pity, anger or worry? "Who did this to you? This wound is from an anti-vampire weapon," he asked.

"Just an old acquaintance of mine, we don't really get along anymore. But don't worry she didn't come out of our little dispute unscathed," I attempted a smile. "Although it serves me right for getting distracted..." I mumbled the last part under my breath. He sighed only to kneel down again and pick me up bridal style. "Hey! What do you think you're-" I interrupted myself as more pain went through my body. 

"I suppose I can't walk through there like last time... and I can't take you to my room again, they'll get suspicious..." He looked up in thought. "Suzuki-san, which number is your room?" 

"Why should I tell you?" I tried to argue but from his eyes I could see he had already made up his mind. "Fine, I'm room 247." He nodded and within the blink of an eye we had teleported to my room. He glanced around the room, taking in all its details before carefully placing me on my bed. 

I looked up at him, waiting for him to leave or at least say something. "Your eyes are still red... have you got any blood tablets?" He asked.

"No I took them all last night." 

"That's fine, I don't think they would do much anyway..." He sat on the edge of my bed. 

"Go ahead make yourself comfortable," I commented sarcastically. "Actually, it would be awesome if you would leave so I could change my bandages," I added. He stayed in place, "or not." 

"You know, if you drank some blood that wound would be almost healed." 

"So you want me to stroll around the academy asking if anyone wants to be my snack?" 

"I didn't say that..." He brought his hand to his neck and started loosening his tie. 

"What are you doing!?" I sat up abruptly which was a mistake. A sharp pain went through my body and I bit down hard on my lip, drawing blood with one of my fangs. 

He came closer to me, pulling down his collar so that his neck was exposed. "It will only cause more trouble for me if you start attacking Day Class students, so if it's just this once, I don't mind you drinking my blood." 

"There's no way I'll-" My eyes were drawn to his bare neck, the blood that flowed just beneath the surface seemed so enticing and I was so thirsty. My throat felt so dry, all I could think about was blood and here it was right in front of me. I leapt forward, knocking Kaname to his back with me hovering above him with impatience. 

I could see the blood pumping through his veins just under his smooth, pale skin. I lowered my head towards his neck but as I neared dangerously close I glanced at his eyes. They were so deep and full of mysteries which I could only begin to fathom. His wine-coloured eyes captivated me and I was no longer entranced by his blood but those marvellous eyes. 

I shook my head and looked down at him. "What's wrong?" He peered up at me with what I thought was worry but, why would he worry for me? 

"It's-" My eyes widened as he brought his hand to my face and brushed his finger along my bottom lip. I realised the blood from biting my lip must have still been there. He brought his finger which was smudged with my blood to his lips and licked blood off cleanly. His eyes flashed a crimson red for a moment but quickly returned to their natural colour. An image of sorrow crossed his face briefly but it was soon replaced with his usual stoic expression. 

I found myself yearning for his blood yet again. I slowly lowered my head to his neck again, admiring his marble skin. My fangs protruded from my mouth as I hovered above his neck for a second. I bit into his neck slowly, hearing a satisfying crunch. (Snap, crackle, pop? I don't know? I'm sorry, I don't know what sound a vampire makes when biting into someone)

I was overwhelmed with the sweet flavour of his blood, it was almost indescribable. I gulped down his blood like a greedy child, it was so addictive. I finally stopped, breathing heavily I gazed back into his eyes. The fragrance of his blood still lingered in the air.

"Was my blood that delicious?"

"N-Not really, I was just desperate," I looked away in slight embarrassment. I slid off him, allowing him to sit up. It was now that I realised that my stomach no longer hurt, I lifted my shirt slightly and pulled some of the bandages loose. The wound had reduced in size significantly. It was now only around ten centimetres long. 

I lowered my shirt, lifting my head to face Kaname once again. "So I guess I should say thanks or whatever..." 

"Something like that," he smiled, amused at my shyness. His neck had almost healed, my bite marks fading from his skin which, would soon be flawless once again. "Anyway, I should be taking my leave." 

He stood from my bed, "um wait... could I ask you something?" He nodded for me to continued. "Why did you look so troubled after you tasted my blood?" 

He cast his gaze to the floor, "after I tasted your blood I... saw a fragment of your past." He looked back to me, "Sorry... I didn't mean to..." 

"It's fine..." This time I couldn't bring myself to look at him and instead stared at my hands in my lap. 

"Bye Suzuki-san," he farewelled me, teleporting out of my room. 

Now that I was alone I flopped onto my back, letting out a heavy sigh. 'I wonder which part of my past he saw?' I turned onto my side and brought my hand up to my lips. 'His blood was delicious though, I've never tasted anything like it...' I felt myself blush slightly. 'What am I thinking? It's probably just because he's a Pureblood. But I'm also a Pureblood... what does that mean?' I tossed onto my other side, too confused to think clearly. 

"Honestly, what am I doing? I should be taking advantage of the fact that I'm in bed and I am no longer in pain." 

Kaname's POV

I teleported back to my room, I did not want to talk to anyone. I stretched out on my lounge and raised one hand to my lips. 'Her blood was so delectable, it was a mixture of sweet and spicy and I love it, I had to restrain myself from taking anymore.' Now that I was alone with my thoughts, all I could think about was her blood. 

As I reminisced the events that had occurred, something stuck out in my mind. I recalled the memory that I had seen, Mirei's memory. I saw fire surrounding a large mansion, its orange flames seemed to reach out, trying to devour everything in its path. I felt Mirei's anguish that she felt in that moment. Felt the tears that poured down her face that night. 

'I don't know what happened in Mirei's past but I'm sure it was full of sorrow and suffering. She's all alone and never relies on anyone, I want to change that. No, I will change that.'


	14. chapter 14

Mirei's POV

I awoke just after dusk, the sun had recently dipped below the horizon and the moon now began to rise. I easily lifted myself out of bed, now feeling much better than I had earlier that day. I stretched, had a shower, got dressed and tied my hair into a high ponytail. 

I found myself slightly bored so I left to find Yuki or someone who could entertain me for a while. I wandered through the near empty halls, the usually boisterous students were scarce. 

I closed my eyes to concentrate on listening for any sounds. I heard many voices coming from several corridors away. I roamed through the hallways until I found myself outside a great hall with a few balconies. I opened the heavy doors and light blinded my vision for a few seconds as many loud voices filled my ears.

I glanced around the large hall which was being decorated by Day Class students. I furrowed my brows in confusion, still standing at the door. 'What are they all doing?' 

I overheard a few girls talking, "who do you want to dance with, Rinako-chan?" 

"Aidou-senpai, Of course!" The girl responded cheerily. 

I rolled my eyes and then it hit me, 'Crap. How could I have forgotten? There's that stupid dance on tonight.' I attempted to creep out of the room unnoticed but my plans were foiled as I heard Yuki yell from the other side of the room.

"Mirei-san! Where have you been!?" She hastily ran towards me. "As a member of the Disciplinary Committee it is our responsibility to help with the preparations for the dance, it's a tradition." 

I sighed, "well, I'm not interested in this dance, tradition or not. So, I'll just be on my way- hey!" Yuki seized my arm and began dragging me away from the door and across the room to where she had been before. "It's not very nice to drag people you know." I informed her though I offered little resistance. 

She let go of my arm as we arrived at a box with a large white curtain and several other decorations. "Come on help me hang this up," she handed me one end of the curtain while she took the other. I tried hard to ignore the excessive chatter of the Day Class students but a small scowl was evident on my face. 'Do they ever talk of anything other than the Night Class?'

I looked to Yuki to see that she seemed distracted, she stared vacantly into the distance. 

"Cross-kun! Suzuki-san!" The Class President stood in front of us whilst holding another white curtain. "You're spacing out! Just what are you planning to do? It's both your fault that my class has to handle all the preparations for the ball! I heard you only wrote your name on the answers sheet and left everything else blank," he pointed his finger to Yuki, accusingly. "And Suzuki-san, you didn't even write your name!" I shrugged in disinterest. "If you cause me to lose my chance to dance with Ruka-san I'll-" 

"You'll what?" I glared at him, tired of his rant. 

He began to retreat until the sound of the door opening caught our attention. Zero stood at the entrance, panting, before making his way across the room. 

"Is that blood?" 

"Was he fighting?" I heard some girls talk amongst themselves. I looked to Zero's shirt to see that there was indeed a blood stain. The dried blood was definitely Zero's but as far as I could tell he did not appear to be bleeding still. Zero walked into a storeroom with Yuki following closely behind leaving me to finish the decorations by myself. 

As the door to the storeroom closed I turned to look at the rest of the room who were all peering at the door to the storeroom curiously. 'Who has Zero pissed off this time?' 

The room slowly returned to normal and I turned back to the box filled with various decorations. I was now left to my own thoughts and I couldn't help but think back to earlier that day. 'Kaname's blood was so sweet...' I subconsciously lifted my fingers to my lips. 'What am I thinking? Honestly...' My cheeks turned a pale shade of pink as I tried to shake away the thoughts of Kaname. 

My thoughts were interrupted by the strong smell of Yuki's blood. I knew what had happened. Zero had just drank Yuki's blood. I looked around the room, all the students were still working and chattering as they were earlier, completely oblivious as to what had just taken place in the storeroom. Of course, only a vampire would know. 

I continued quietly with the preparations as the Day Class students, one by one started to leave the hall to get dressed for the ball. Zero had left the storeroom shortly after he drank Yuki's blood, leaving her in the small room alone. 

As the last student closed the doors to the large hall, I quickly made my way to the storeroom. I softly opened the door to see Yuki sitting against the far wall, her head resting on her knees. The blood from her neck had mostly been wiped away but the bite marks were still clearly visible. 

I sighed, leaning against the open door, "you gonna sit there all day or do I have to drag you back to your room?" 

Yuki looked to me with wide eyes, "Mirei-san!?" she jumped and swiftly tried to hide the bite mark with her hand. "W-When did you get there?" She smiled up at me sheepishly. 

"You don't have to hide it, I know Zero drank your blood, I'm not an idiot." 

"Sorry," she lowered her hand. "How did you know?" 

"I'm psychic," I told her as I approached her. "Come on, I thought you wanted to dance." I lifted her to her feet. "You're not feeling anaemic are you?" 

"No," she followed me into the hall which was still brightly lit. I squinted slightly and kept striding towards the closed doors of the hall.

"Don't worry everyone's getting ready, as you should be," I assured her as I noticed she had been glancing around worriedly. 

We swiftly made our way back to Yuki's shared room, making sure not to run into anyone along the way. I bid her farewell and proceeded to search for somewhere to relax for the rest of the night. 

The moon was out and I found myself wanting to be in the forest to admire its beauty and to feel the cool night air. Students were starting to make their way to the ball, I tried my best to avoid them and had just reached the edge of the forest when I heard a voice. 

"Suzuki-sannnn!" The familiar voice called from the nearby building. 

I turned, irritated to see Headmaster Kaien in clothes which was quite frankly hideous. He wore a brown suit with white pants underneath, ruffled sleeves and a large ruffled cravat. (Scarf thingy, I had to google it) I let out a huff and approached him, crossing my arms upon arrival.

"Where do you think you're going Mirei-san?" He asked, waving his hands around dramatically. 

"Where do you think? The forest." 

"Tch, tch, tch," he wagged his finger about in disapproval. "All Disciplinary Committee members are to help with security tonight. Besides, who wouldn't want to celebrate such a fantastic event!? It's one of the only times when the Night and Day Class can meet and converse!" He announced gleefully whilst twirling on the spot a few times. 

"Right..." I sweat-dropped. "Well, I'm not really interested in such an event so if I could be excused-" 

"Nonsense!" He clutched my arm, "come along, I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself!" He began to drag me towards the ball, humming happily to himself. I tried to get out of his grasp but he was surprisingly strong and using too much strength would be suspicious. 'This is the second time this has happened today... why me?' 

The Headmaster and I arrived at the ball which had become lively with hyperactive Day Class students who were eager to score a dance with a Night Class students. Zero, in his normal uniform, stood on the small, tiled balcony outside the hall. 

"So you were roped into this too?" Zero nodded as the Headmaster let go of me and poked Zero's cheek, successfully irritating him. 

"Kiryu-kun... thank you for ensuring the security of the ball," the Headmaster said, removing his finger and stretching. 

"I had no choice but to come, since it was an order by the Headmaster," Zero informed him, grumpily. 

"I know your pain," I added. 

"Oh Mirei-san!" The Headmaster grinned. "Why don't you go inside and enjoy yourself?" His smile widened even further, if that were possible. 

"But don't I have Disciplinary Committee duties?" I asked hoping to avoid entering the ball. 

"Of course you do," the Headmaster continued, "but there's no reason why you can't have some fun!" I let out a frustrated huff and trudged into the hall. 

"Bye Suzuki-san! Have fun and-" The doors closed behind me, cutting off the Headmaster's words. 

I glanced around the hall to see many couples dancing elegantly around the centre of the room. The usual uniforms replaced with elegant dresses and expensive suits. I found myself resting against a pillar, watching and occasionally cringing at the elated Day Class students. 

Zero and Yuki entered the hall and gazed around, supposedly scanning for potential trouble. I observed as Yuki corrected Zero's tie and pinned a red rose to the left pocket of his uniform. Yuki was wearing a long white ballgown which was shorter at the front with a white ribbon to hide the bite mark Zero had left. Her hair was tied into two neat buns on the back of her head. 

She left Zero with a smile on her face which I noted to be quite strained. She searched the room for someone, offering me a smile every time we made eye contact. She finally moved towards Akatsuki who was leant against a wall at the back of the hall. 

I overheard Yuki asking for Kaname and turned my head was I was no longer observing their conversation. The longer I thought about Yuki dancing with Kaname the more agitated I felt and the more this strange feeling in my stomach would grow.

Across the room, Zero also appeared irritated as he watched Yuki leave to one of the balconies to join Kaname for a dance. I spotted Hina who stood in a darker corner seemingly bored. She still wore her usual teaching outfit but she left her hair out and a dark pink rose sat atop her head. A few healing cuts and bruises scattered her face, arms and legs from our previous fight. She sent a glare in my direction when she noticed my gaze. 

"I need a distraction," I murmured to myself and fixed my gaze on the bowl of tropical punch a few metres away. I had reached out my hand for the yellow drink when another hand grabbed mine. 

I turned my head abruptly to see the owner of the hand. "What do you want, Hanabusa?" For once his usual mischievous expression had been replaced with a serious one. 

He let go of my hand, "follow me."

"Oh? And why should I do that?" I tilted my head to the side mockingly.

"Have you noticed? That exchange student has disappeared," he said in a low voice.

I glanced subtly around the room, he was right. Maria was nowhere to be seen. "Just what are you scheming?" 

"I'm afraid that I'm not the one who's scheming..." I thought for a moment, 'I don't trust Maria or rather, Shizuka Hiou. Something about her feels... off.' 

"I'm afraid you may be right..." My expression darkened. "Alright, I'll follow you.


	15. chapter 15

Mirei's POV

Hanabusa lead Akatsuki and I through the forest towards an old brick building which I assumed used to be a dormitory. I kept my hands in the pockets of my jacket to keep them warm in the cold night air. The sound of crickets reverberated through the forest behind us. 

"So..." Akatsuki started, "what exactly is she doing here?" He nodded his head towards me. 

"Oi, I'm right here..." 

Hanabusa ignored me, "well she already knows about Hiou Shizuka and she doesn't seem as brain dead as the average human," he answered.

"Thanks... I think."

"But she's still human," Akatsuki pointed out. 

"And she's still here," I added, trying to gain their attention. They continued to argue amongst themselves as we arrived outside what appeared to be a trapdoor. 

They both turned back to me, "Just what are you?" Akatsuki asked, finally addressing me. "You don't appear to be a hunter." 

"A human... probably~" I offered them a fake smile and a shrug of my shoulders as I gestured for Hanabusa to open the trapdoor.

"It's cold," Hanabusa started, "it should be here." We peered into the darkness to see a spiralling staircase which lead underground. 

"Well, that looks creepy... ladies first," I gestured for them to enter. Akatsuki rolled his eyes and the entered the dark staircase, with me following shortly after. The staircase went on for some time, offering little light but it did not hinder my eyesight in the slightest. 

"So, have you finally decided to believe me Akatsuki?" Hanabusa asked as we finally neared the end of the corridor. Akatsuki's eyes widened as he saw what lay underneath the ground, in this very room. Hiou Shizuka's body was suspended midair in the centre of a large room. Her body was encased in a thick crystal-like structure. "Just as you surmised, she seems to have abandoned her real body." 

I narrowed my eyes, "I had hoped that we were wrong..." 

"I don't understand why she had to go this far," Hanabusa stared at Shizuka's body attentively. 

"Don't become involved in this more than you already have," a warning came from the corridor behind us. Seiren stood in the archway. 

"Why not? Just what on Earth is happening?" Seiren did not answer and instead walked back up the staircase. "Hey!" Hanabusa called after her. 

"Stop it, Hanabusa," Akatsuki interrupted. "For Seiren to say such things, it must mean that the Dorm President has something planned. Besides, it's not like we could do anything against a Pureblood anyway." 'Kaname... just what are you up to? I don't want to but, if worse comes to worse I may have to interfere.' 

Hanabusa still looked frustrated. "Come on, we should go." This time I lead them up the stairs and back to the world above ground.

We made our way back to the ball in a tense silence. As Akatsuki and Hanabusa entered the large hall I rested against the balcony outside. I could hear the faint music and chatter from the hall as I stood in thought, watching the trees sway with the breeze. 'Just what is Shizuka Hiou planning?' 

No more than ten minutes passed before the doors swung open and Zero ran down the steps, looking around frantically. My eyebrows creased in slight confusion. 

"Oi Zero!" I yelled after him, "what's the rush?" 

He stopped in his tracks as I made my way down the stairs and down the path to talk with him. "Have you seen Yuki?" he asked, still panicked. 

"No, I haven't. Should I be concerned?" He did not answer but instead continued running down the path towards the Moon Dormitories. "I'll take that as a yes..." I sighed, following at a slower pace. The night air nipped at my face and hands and I regretted not wearing something warmer. I strolled almost aimlessly, unsure of where Zero or Yuki were. Everything seemed calm, unnaturally calm. The peacefulness was short lived as I came to an abrupt stop. I could feel it, the presence of Pureblood and they were nearby. 

I started running, this time heading in the direction of the Pureblood, Shizuka Hiou. As I ran I noticed the trees above me rustle as someone leapt from tree to tree. 'Great just what I need, a stalker.' 

I came to a hasty stop as a familiar golden staff flew past my face and pierced the ground where I would have stood if I had been but a second slower. I turned to face my attacker, instinctively reaching into my jacket for one of my daggers. "As much as I'd like to stop and reminisce, I fear I have more important matters to which I must attend."

"What could be so important?" Hina glared dangerously while getting into a defensive position, she seemed quite exposed without her trusty staff. Several scratches still decorated her body from the previous fight.

"Sorry but I really can't play today, if you'd like to arrange another appointment, I'd be delighted to- wait I'm rambling," I grabbed her staff which was still protruding out of the earth. I yanked it out of the ground looked back to Hina. I mustered up as much strength as I could while still remaining in my human form and I released the staff, watching as it soared over the forest and landed somewhere beyond the boundaries of the academy. 

"Why you!" Hina took a step foward, prepared to attack. 

"Oh, you're planning to attack me? I wonder how much damage you could inflict without an anti-vampire weapon. She stopped in her tracks, "good girl, now... fetch!" I pointed in the direction which I had thrown her staff. 

"Tch, this isn't the end!" She ran into the forest in search of her long gone staff. 

"It is for now," I began running down the path again, this time a little faster. "Shit, there's no way I'll make it there in time. Who knows what that woman could do in the mean time." Ideas and thoughts bounced around in my head as I continued to run. In the distance an old brick building came into view, it was surrounded my a small moat-like stream with stepping stones. 'Why do I care so much?' 

I caught the faint sounds of voices on the wind and came to a halt. 'Those voices... they're Yuki, Zero and Shizuka.' 

"I guess I have no choice then," I inhaled sharply, closing my eyes briefly for concentration. In a matter of seconds I had teleported. 

I landed safely outside the window from which the voices had originated. I peered around the maroon, partially opened curtain to see Zero clasping Yuki's arm, his eyes glazed. Shizuka, in her real body approached them, a devious smile adorned her face. Her long silver hair descended neatly down her back, covering her pale kimono. I reached into my jacket to check that I had both my daggers.

"My body has been hungering for four years, did you think that your blood alone would suffice?" Shizuka asked Yuki, mockingly. She passed Yuki and approached Zero instead, nearing his neck. 

"You said my blood was enough, stop it!" Yuki yelled, squeezing her eyes shut as Shizuka revealed her fangs. She was met with little resistance from Zero, who was still in a trance-like state. 

I decided I could wait no longer and it was time for me to make my entrance. I forcefully kicked the window open with one leg. Shizuka stopped just before piercing Zero's skin, a smile slowly crept onto her face as she pulled away from his neck. Yuki now stared at me, like a deer caught in the headlights. I remained silent as the curtained fluttered around me in the wind. 

"Mirei-san!? Is that you!?" Yuki finally found the words to say. 

I hopped off the windowsill, lightly. I did not bother to answer Yuki as I came further into the room. Instead I looked to Shizuka, mirroring her smirk. "Shizuka, I presume?" 

She chuckled, "don't you know it's rude to disturb someone while they are feeding, Suzuki-san?" 

"My apologies but," I stalked closer to her, staying amongst the darker parts of the room where the shadows helped to conceal my presence. "I can't let you feed on them." The smirk disappeared from my face, a glare sharp, like knives replaced it. 

"My my, how you have grown Suzuki-san," she chuckled to herself, darkly. 

"Grown?" My glare faltered for a moment. 

"Yes, it has been quite some time now, the first time I we met you were but an infant." I narrowed my eyes. "Although back then you were not Suzuki Mirei, you went by a different name," She smirked knowingly at me. "To be honest I wasn't sure it was you at first but it's hard to forget those eyes... just like your father's." Anger began to bubble inside me, threatening to spill over. 

Yuki looked between us, confused. "Mirei-san... what-"

"It's nothing important," I spat out as I turned back to Shizuka. "Now, where were we? Ah, that's right." I swiftly drew one of my daggers, yoake, holding it in front of me, ready to strike. "Last chance, leave Cross Academy now." 

"Or?" She raised a thin eyebrow. Yuki had turned to Zero and was trying to break the trance he was under. 

"Well, I gave you a chance," I narrowed my eyes. Both Shizuka and I were still for a moment before I hastily leapt at her, dagger raised. She skilfully dodged the attack as I used the momentum to do a forward roll and end up standing on the other side of her. We continued to exchange attacks, neither of us fighting seriously but merely warning each other, for now. 

Shizuka was conscious that I did not want to reveal my true identity to Yuki and Zero, she rarely went on the offensive and preferred to just almost effortlessly avoid my attacks. "Are you sure you can continue like this?" she mocked, "why don't you fight me properly, I know you're much stronger than this." 

Yuki watched from the sidelines with concern. Her eyes shifted frantically from Zero and the fight that was unfolding before her. "Stop... please stop!" Yuki screamed hopefully but to no avail. Shizuka dodged as I threw a dagger, it flew past her right cheek and lodged itself into the wall. She chuckled darkly for a moment before her eyes widened and she lifted her hand to her cheek. Blood began to beed and drip from the small slash. I smiled faintly as she dropped her hand, letting it fall limp by her side. 

"It seems that you've decided to make things interesting," Shizuka smirked as her cheek healed, she lifted her hand and licked the remaining blood off her hand. "Now, shall we continue our fight?" She did not wait for me to respond before grabbing my dagger and throwing it back at me. Fortunately, I was prepared and caught the blade in midair just before it pierced my eye. 

Yuki cringed and cast her gaze to the ground, a shadow covering her eyes. "This is all my fault... all I wanted was to stay by Zero's side but..." She raised her head, a few tears fell down her face. 

"Shizuka!" Yuki jumped as a hand grabbed her shoulder. Shizuka and I stopped fighting to see Zero holding Yuki's shoulder with his gun, Bloody Rose in the other hand. "Shizuka!" he yelled once more, his words soaked in hatred. He quickly stomped across the room and threw out a hand in an attempt to strangle Shizuka. 

His hands shook as he tried to wrap them around Shizuka's neck, "it's useless Zero, you just have to be obedient, like a puppet." Zero started to raise his gun in his other hand, "you can't tighten those fingers around my neck, can you?"

My eyes widened slightly as a gun went off and blood splattered the floor underneath Zero, he had shot himself in the leg. "You can't take anything from me again!" He lifted her off the ground and shot her three times in the stomach and chest, red seeped through her kimono. 

"Stop Zero!" Yuki clung to Zero's arm leaving Shizuka to land safely back on the ground. 

She through her head back in laughter, like a madman. I reached for my other dagger as she grabbed a long piece of fabric from around her waist, she lifted it into the air, letting it swirl around her before hovering in place. "As if I'd die from something like this." 

"I'll end it... all of it!" Zero shoved Yuki to the side as he ran towards Shizuka. He took several shots but each was easily blocked with the piece of fabric which she was able to manipulate. 

"Those eyes... this is fine. Isn't this what you wished from the bottom of your heart? To die along with me?" She smirked as Yuki realised the meaning of those words. 

"I think it's time that I-" I was interrupted by a katana whipping through the air and embedding itself into Zero's arm. The owner of the sword stood in the doorway, a young man with silver hair, much like Zero's with a mask covering the top half of his face. 

"How long do you intend to make sport of them?" The man asked irritably, "if you are hunted down here that will be a problem." 

"Hmph, that was unnecessary," Shizuka let the fabric drop to the ground and reluctantly followed the man's advice. "You didn't have to show up." She stopped beside him at he doorway, "you have no cause for worry, I don't plan on getting killed here." 

She left the room, "Shizuka!" Zero attempted to follow after but was met with the other man's arm, blocking the doorway. 

"Do you intend to leave me again?" 'Again?' The man asked.

"The one who left was you, Ichiru!" 

"No, I meant to the vampire world," The man, Ichiru, smirked. Zero gritted his teeth in anger.

"Zero... who's Ichiru?" Yuki asked, confused. 

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Zero?" 

Zero flung the sword towards Ichiru, successfully removing the mask from his face. "He's my younger brother." Ichriu faced us, smiling almost innocently.

"Of course there's another one, cause why not?"


	16. chapter 16

Mirei's POV

Zero's brother, Ichiru smiled almost innocently at us however, Zero did not seem quite so cheerful.

"Protect yourself, Zero," Ichiru held his sword in front of him. "I'm no longer the old me, the one who always followed you and hindered you is no longer here. I've been allowed to drink Shizuka-sama's blood. The blood of a Pureblood empowers you with special abilities, you're just itching for some too, aren't you?" 

Both siblings raised their weapons, preparing to fight. "Stop it, both of you!" Yuki stood between them, arms outstretched. "You're siblings why must you do this?" 

Ichiru raised his sword to Yuki, "If you interfere, even without Shizuka-sama's permission, I will..." Zero clicked his gun as he held it to Ichiru's head. "I thought that the weapons that Hunters use don't work on humans?" 

Zero lowered his gun, "I thought as much." Ichiru's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing, he swiftly brought his sword upward to attack Zero. 

"Stay back!" Zero jumped backwards, as he prepared for Ichiru's next attack. 

"Yes, you're right! I'm human!" Ichiru yelled, his tone laced with anguish. "Shizuka-sama shared her blood with me! But..." I turned to Yuki to see her watching in silent horror as the brothers fought. 

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay for the family reunion, I should really go find that annoying woman," I said, directed to no one in particular. 

"Mirei-san..." Yuki looked between Zero and I. "Shouldn't we um... try to stop them." 

"Hm... I suppose so. Good luck," I did not give her the chance to respond before I hastily made my exit through the open door. 

In the hallway, I could still hear the faint shouting of the two brothers and Yuki trying to halt their fighting. I fixed my gaze on the ground, the once pale carpet was now stained with a trail of blood. The blood appeared to lead to a door at the end of the hallway which, was slightly ajar. I narrowed my eyes, I was sure that Shizuka was in that room however, she was not alone. Kaname was also there.

I crept closer to the wooden door and I heard Kaname's voice which was muffled by the door. I concentrated on his voice, "to repay a debt..." he spoke softly, "and it was also ideal for gathering my pawns." There was a moment of silence as I neared the doorway. "And... probably... I'm trying to do exactly what you are." His voice became even fainter and I strained to hear it while restraining my vampire senses, "Shizuka... like you, I'm doing this for some- for the sake of maintaining peace in this academy."

"Oh?" I heard Shizuka ask, "are you sure that's the reason, I could have sworn you were doing this for someone but... maybe it's not the something that has changed but rather... the someone." 

There was a pause for a moment before I heard something splatter, 'blood?' Without thinking, I swung the door open. Kaname stood, behind Shizuka, his hand had pierced her chest and was covered in her blood. The scent was almost suffocating, a reminder of how taboo it is to kill a Pureblood. 

"Mirei..." Shizuka smiled, despite the situation. Blood spilled from her lips and dripped down her chin, staining her white kimono. "I must say, I'm not surprised. I had planned to kill you with Yuki Cross as the assassin," Shizuka admitted to Kaname, her faint smile disappearing. 

"That was a wise choice," Kaname replied, his hand still protruding from her chest. 

"You too, now that my healing power is diminished by a hunter's weapon, tearing out my heart might kill even a Pureblood like me." I watched as Kaname lowered his head to Shizuka's neck. I felt slightly uncomfortable standing by the door so I turned to make my exit but I stopped after hearing Shizuka's final farewell to me.

"I believe this will be goodbye, Akiyama-san." I cringed slightly at the sound of my real surname. That name had not been used in so long that it sounded almost foreign to me.

I paused, "yes, it is goodbye," I said without looking back and continued to walk through the door. I looked up to see Hanabusa standing a little way down the hall, his eyes wide in shock. I let out a sigh, 'look at the mess you've gotten yourself into, Kaname.' I turned to my right and leant against the cream wall to wait for Kaname. I cast my gaze downwards to the floor which still had spatters of blood decorating the carpet. My bangs shadowed my face as I focused on what was happening in the room behind me.

I heard the sound of Kaname's fangs piercing Shizuka's flesh, "how strange. here I am with you, sucking my blood. When I first met you as a boy, you sought the same thing as I did." 

"That has not changed, even now," Kaname responded. I heard the sound of what I could only assume was Kaname ripping his hand from her chest. "I will not let your life go to waste, I will destroy the one thing you despised, without fail. The one who twisted the destiny of Purebloods." Hanabusa came to stand beside me, I noticed his fist clenching and unclenching, his eyebrows were knit together in confusion and another emotion which, I had trouble deciphering.

"A Pureblood vampire who drinks the blood of another Pureblood, you have gained new powers, but now an ominous future awaits you. There is nothing but darkness in your path, Kaname." Shizuka warned, surprisingly calmly. That was the last time I heard Shizuka speak. 

The smell of her blood became considerably stronger and I was sure that more people would soon begin to gather. I sensed the Kaname had teleported out of the room, and decided it was time for me to also take my leave. 

"We should leave before someone comes," I said passing by Hanabusa. He did not budge, just kept glaring at the ground. "Unless, you want to be blamed for her murder? You don't want the Senate to start hunting you down, trust me." He looked up as we heard a voice cry out from down a couple of corridors away.

"Shizuka! Where are you!?" I recognised that panicked shouts to belong to Ichiru. 

"Okay, Plan B," I turned on my heel and headed down another corridor which, was a dead end. At the end of the corridor was a large window which allowed the light from the moon to light the hallway. Hanabusa looked to me skeptically as I tugged on the window to no avail. 'This would be so much easier if I could use my powers.' Ichiru's footsteps became louder and I had run out of options. "Can't you do something?"

"Like what?" 

"Freeze it? I don't know, you're supposed to be the vampire." 

"My powers do not include window opening besides, freezing the window isn't going to help." 

"Fuck it," I grabbed my dagger Yoake.

Hanabusa took a step back, "what exactly are you doing?" 

"This," I used the hilt of the dagger to break the glass. The sound reverberated throughout the corridor and I'm sure someone must have heard it. I used my dagger to remove as much of the glass as I could. "Ladies first," I gestured for him to climb out the window. 

He climbed onto the ledge, carefully avoiding any sharp glass that was still in place. "I'm not a la-" He unable to finish his sentence as I shoved him through the window. A few seconds later I heard a large thump.

"Still alive?" I called after him. I looked down to see him beginning to sit up although slightly dirty.

"What the hell was that for!?" he yelled and continued to grumble.

I placed my dagger safely back in my jacket before swiftly jumping through the window, "catch!" 

"Wha-" I landed upright, successfully crushing Hanabusa's stomach.

"See, that wasn't so bad," I smiled proudly at our escape.

"S-Suzuki-san! Can't breathe!" he wheezed from beneath me. 

"Sorry~" I stepped off of him, allowing him to get up and catch his breath. I felt Shizuka's presence fade even further as an awkward silence ensued between us.

"Anyway, I should really be going," I turned to walk away. 

"Suzuki-san," Hanabusa called after me with a serious tone. I turned to face him once more, his eyes displayed his pure determination. "I don't know why Kaname-sama has- I don't know he is planning but... I won't let you get in his way." In his voice, I could hear the admiration and respect he held for Kaname. 

"I won't tell anyone about what I saw, you don't have to worry about that. Besides who would believe me?" I saw him relax slightly. "I don't know what he is planning either but, I'm sure it's important. For him to go to such lengths..." I mumbled the last part. 

I turned around again, this time he did not stop me. I made my way back to the dorms, careful not to be seen. The ball had ended and the school was asleep, most were oblivious to the night's sinister events. 

Once inside my room, I flopped onto my bed. I knew there was no way I would be able to sleep. I let out a deep sigh, and rose from my bed again. I grabbed the key and unlocked the top draw of my bedside table. The heavy draw creaked open and I shuffled through my few treasured items until I found for what I was looking. I enclosed the flower hair clip within both my hand and held it to my heart. I sat on my bed with my eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold back my tears. Now that I was alone I could feel my emotions start to take over.

"I don't want to see anyone die anymore... not again," a single tear trickled down my face as I laid back down, still clutching the hair clip tightly. 

\- - - - - Timeskip to Morning - - - - - 

By morning I had not had a wink of sleep. 'Although, I suppose it's only natural for a vampire however, I feel that even if it were the day I still would not have been able to sleep.' I decided to go for a shower, afterwards I put on some navy jeans, a white shirt and a black hoodie. I brushed my hair and tied it into a high ponytail. I examined my appearance in the mirror, my face was pale and dark rings had begun to form under my eyes. I let out a soft sigh before leaving my room and heading to my first class which, happened to be maths. 

I slid the door open to see the rest of the class staring at me. I scanned the room and noticed Zero was missing. "Suzuki-san! Late as usual I see," the teacher gave me a disapproving look whilst tapping his foot impatiently. "Well are you going to provide an excuse for your tardiness?" he waited expectingly. 

"I hate maths and school is boring, does that count as an excuse?" 

"It most certainly does not- where do you think you're going!?" he asked as I walked through the rows of desks.

"To sit down, obviously." I took my seat at my usual place at the back. 

"Why you-" he cut himself off, mumbling profanities. He cleared his throat, "back to work class and detention for you Suzuki-san." 

"Sure sure," I muttered to myself, placing my head on the desk in an attempt to rest. Unfortunately I still found myself unable to sleep. Since the events of the previous night, I found myself recalling memories which, I would rather forget.

By the end of the day I easily had escaped detention and I hoped that I would be able to find somewhere peaceful to relax for the night until I remembered that I had Disciplinary Committee duties. I trudged my way to the change over, joining Yuki who, without Zero was having trouble keeping the fangirls at bay. 

"Mirei-san!" her eyes lit up as she spotted me. "You're my saviour!" Not a moment later she was trampled over by a rowdy group of girls. 

"I see that..." I sweat dropped. I offered my hand to help her up and glared at the girls. Yuki smiled at me gratefully as the gate opened and the cries of the Day Class students threatened to deafen us. The Night Class trailed out as usual although the atmosphere was a little tense. I noticed that Kaname, Hanabusa and Akatsuki appeared to be absent. Most of the students walked by however Seiren stopped in front of me. 

"Kaname-sama has requested your presence," she informed me. I few Day Class girls whom had overheard started whispering among themselves and I could only assume that there would be rumours about me by tomorrow. Yuki looked to me questionably but I only shrugged in response. 'I had a feeling this might happen.' Seiren motioned for me to follow back through the gate and into the Moon Dorm. She lead me up the stairs and into Kaname's room where Hanabusa and Akatsuki already stood. "I shall take my leave now."

Kaname nodded in thanks as she exited. He sat behind a desk, the window behind him was opened, allowing the room to be bathed in a beautiful orange. "You called?"


	17. chapter 17

Mirei's POV

"I see you've arrived," Kaname responded. "Thank you for the report," he nodded to Akatsuki. "You two may also leave." Hanabusa and Akatsuki left promptly after his words, shutting the door as they left. I didn't miss the glare Hanabusa gave me as he walked out, obviously a threat, not to mention what really happened. 

I waited until I could no longer hear their footsteps before turning back to Kaname, "I'm guessing that your plan is to threaten me?" I smirked, awaiting his response. 

"Not exactly." 

"Oh? Are you intending to blackmail me then?" He shook his head. "Well you're no fun." I sighed, "there's no need to fret, I'm not going to tell anyone. Although I will say this, I don't know what you're planning but... make sure that you're certain that you want to go down the path you have chosen... just be careful." 

"I know," he looked away from me and gazed thoughtfully out the window. A short silence ensued before it was interrupted by me. 

"Not that I care what you do anyway..." I said awkwardly, avoiding his gaze. 

"Right, of course not," he said with a hint of amusement but a look of seriousness quickly replaced it. "Suzuki-san..." I furrowed my brow slightly at his serious tone. "Yesterday, Shizuka called you Akiyama..." 

My eyes widened in shock for a second before I swiftly regained composure, "I hoped that you had missed that but of course, you're perceptive as usual." I looked down for a moment trying to think of a reason why Shizuka would have called me that. "You see... I actually a cousin with that name and we look quite similar. I think you'll find that the resemblance really quite remarkable." 

"I see..." He looked to me disbelievingly. 

"A very, very distant cousin. Third cousin, once removed," I said, now with confidence.

"Of course, and where does your cousin live?" he asked, playing along. 

"Erm... Switzerland?" 

"Yes well, as much as I'd like to meet this third cousin of yours, who may or may not be from Switzerland, why don't you tell me who you really are?" he took a few steps towards me. 

"Why exactly do you care who I am?" I huffed, "to protect your precious Yuki from any potential threats?" He did not answer. "I mean, that's all you seem to think about..." I mumbled. As the silence continued I felt a stinging sensation began to start, quickly growing more painful, like my heart was being stabbed with thin but sharp pins. As the silence ensued the pain only grew, 'what is wrong with me? What is this feeling? Why should I care what he thinks of me, or Yuki for that matter?'

"No... besides you're not a threat." With his words, the pain evaporated as quickly as it had come, it was as if a weight had been lifted from my chest.

"I'm glad..." I muttered under my breath.

"Pardon?" 

"It's nothing," I moved to the window, placing my hand against the cool glass. The sun had almost completely set and moon had begun to rise. I took a deep breath, "my real name is Akiyama Mirei." 

I stayed facing the window, focusing on the trees which swayed in the distance. "I've heard that name before, there was a Pureblood couple with that name." 

"Yes, yes there was," my hand tensed slightly as I let it drop to my side. 

"Akiyama Hansuke and Akiyama Satsuki, as a child I would sometimes see them at dinner parties and other gatherings. Although I don't recall them having a daughter or any other relatives." I flinched slightly at their names, I couldn't help but clench my fists. He continued, "although they both died several years ago, Akiyama Satsuki's ashes were found in a forest scattered amongst the snow, surrounded in her own blood. While Akiyama Hansuke supposedly wasted away, distraught after the death of his beloved wife. 

"Is that so..." I whispered. 

"Just who are you?" 

I remained quiet, still facing the window, unable to meet his gaze. 'Who am I?' the question resounded through my head. "Sorry, I don't think that's something I can answer." I furrowed in thought, "rather I'm not sure that's something I'll even be able to answer." I closed my eyes, resting my head against the cool glass of the window. "Sorry I-" I cut myself off, a hand rested on my shoulder and it was now that I realised our closeness. I tensed initially at the contact but soon relaxed. His hand was surprisingly warm and comforting. 

"It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow or even a year from now but... at some point, will you tell me?" 

I turned my neck to meet his unwavering gaze. I couldn't help but lose myself in those wine-coloured eyes, like a lake, they glistened under the moonlight. Subconsciously, I reached my hand out, delicately caressing his cheek below his left eye. His skin was so pale and smooth, I felt was slowly inching closer until our noses were almost touching. "Mirei?" he snapped me out of my trance like state. 

"U-Um sorry!" I hastily retracted my hand, holding it close to my chest. "I didn't mean to- I mean I-" I muttered to myself, flustered. 'What was I thinking? And just what was I planning on doing!?'

"Pfft," pink dusted my cheeks as I heard his light chuckling. "What's so funny?" I tilted my head downwards in an attempt to cover my now rosy cheeks behind my bangs. 

"Sorry, it's just I never thought you could make such an expression," he finished laughing. 

"Yeah well... shut up," I failed to defend myself. "I can't help it if I make a weird face when I'm embarrassed." 

"I didn't say it was weird... it was actually rather c-" He cut himself off. 

"You were going to say creepy, weren't you!?" 

"No..." He adverted his gaze. 

"Like hell you weren't, that face says everything," I huffed. 

"I was going to say you looked kind of cute..." He mumbled, still looking away. It was almost unnoticeable but his cheeks were tinted the slightest pink. 

"Oh? Look who's blushing now~" I teased, in attempt to forget my earlier embarrassment. I chuckled smugly. 

After a few seconds he composed himself and turned his head to face me again. "Anyway, you didn't give me an answer to my question earlier." 

I tilted my head in confusion, "question?" 

"If you will tell me, of your past that is," he stared back at me, waiting patiently for my response.

'Should I? Can I trust him?' After a moment of silence, I eventually nodded. Surprising even myself. "Good," a small, genuine smile graced his features and I felt my heart skip a beat. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' 

"U-um... if that was all you wanted then I should really be going," I gestured to the door, avoiding eye contact. The smile faded from his face, leaving my heart to mourn in its wake. 

"I suppose so," he took a step back, allowing me to pass him. 

"So... I'll see you around then," I said awkwardly as I waved him goodbye and opened the heavy door. 

"Yes, you will," he nodded confirming my statement as I made my exit, softly closing the door behind me. I proceeded to walk down the hallway, the only sound being my soft footsteps on the wooden floor. I made my outside the Moon Dormitories, finding the space outside to be empty. I stopped by the gate where the change over occurs, leaning against the high brick wall. I shivered slightly as I folded my arms to preserve warmth. 

Recently, the days had become shorter and the nights colder, I watched as my breath came out as small white puffs. 'Just what were you thinking?' I lifted my hand, clutching it with the other. I could still feel the warmth from his skin and for some strange reason I found myself yearning for more. 'What was I even intending to do?' My eyes widened at the memory of how close we had been, our faces mere centimetres apart. My cheeks flushed a pastel pink before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I shouldn't think on it too much, it will only give me a headache."

I shifted my weight off the wall as I heard footsteps approaching. Yuki trailed along the perimeter of the wall, her attention on her feet as they trudged along the ground. She walked past me, not noticing my presence and began walking towards the forest. 

I approached her quietly from behind and waited till I was as close to her as possible. "You know, as a member of the Disciplinary Committee you should really be more aware of your surroundings." I said in a low voice. I saw goosebumps form on her neck as she let out a shriek of surprise. 

"M-Mirei!?" 

"That's my name," I smirked mischievously. 'Finally a distraction.' 

"Please don't scare me like that," she whined, her heart still racing. 

"Aww... but it's so fun~" She sighed, calming herself. "Sorry," I patted her shoulder in apology, "why are you so distracted anyway?" 

"It fine... it's just I'm kind of concerned for Zero," her eyebrows creased in worry. It was my turn to sigh as I rested my hands in the pockets of my jacket. "The Headmaster said he's fine but..." 

"But you're not so sure," I finished for her. She nodded solemnly. I cold wind blew through the forest as silence consumed us, the trees shaking from its force. I thought for a moment of how best to reassure her. "I have seen many like Zero before... and they all go through suffering but all I can say is that he's a fighter. And he cares for you a lot, he wouldn't give up that easily." Her eyes widened as she seemed surprised by my comment before offering me a small smile. 'It's likely that Zero has regressed to Level E, I feel bad for giving her a false sense of hope but, he does care for Yuki. That is certain.' 

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks." I shrugged my shoulders. 

"I'm sorry you had to witness that though..." I muttered to myself although apparently not quietly enough. 

"No, I brought myself into this and- wait, what do you mean? You also said that you've seen many people like Zero before, right? You're the same as me, aren't you?" 

I was slightly taken aback by her sudden questioning, "Ah yeah, sorry it's just I was..." I furrowed my eyebrows, thinking of an excuse. 

Yuki spoke up again upon seeing my expression, "I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked that, of course you're the same as me. And I'm sure you have your reasons, so..." She avoided my gaze. 

"It fine, don't worry about it." She let out a sigh of relief. "Anyway, shouldn't you get going? We still have to patrol the grounds, and with Zero gone there's more area to cover." 

"Right," she perked up. "Sorry again, I'll see you later." I waved as she began jogging into the forest, disappearing into the darkness. I let out an exhausted sigh as I looked for somewhere to relax, eventually finding a large tree not far from the Sun Dormitories. I climbed until I reached a wide branch that had enough shrubbery to hide me from the people inside the dormitory. I rested my head against the trunk, taking my hair out of its ponytail and letting it flow down to my waist. Leaning back, I admired the red crescent moon, which was partially hidden my clouds.

I loved nights like this, the breeze, although a little cold, was comforting and the branch only sound was the distant trickling of water and the hum of insects. Shutting my eyes, I let the rest of the world fade out. 

A few hours later I felt myself start to wake, I lifted myself so that I was sitting on the branch. I quickly noticed the intoxicatingly sweet scent coated the air, it was thick, almost suffocating. 'I know this smell, this is Kaname's blood.'


	18. chapter 18

Mirei's POV

I let out a small yawn as I sat in class. My hands rested behind my head in a relaxed fashion as I leaned back in my chair. The English teacher drawled on, occasionally sending me glares as if she were daring me to disrupt the relative silence which had fallen upon the class. I closed my eyes, finding the idea of sleep to be quite tempting. Alas, rest would not come easily, my mind was still restless. The happenings of the previous evening were still fresh and I found myself searching for a distraction. 'Why did I smell his blood last night, I'm certain that it was not my imagination.' 

I let out a huff of frustration as my eyes roamed the class for something interesting. Zero was still absent, Yuki sat in her usual seat completely spaced out, which was also as per usual. Other students mumbled curses under their breathe, scrambling to take down notes while they tried to keep up with the teachers pace. Some students, including Sayori, had just given up completely and had taken to having quiet conversations among themselves. 

A few rows in front of me three girls were huddled, their heads close together most likely gossiping about the Night Class or anything else that would pique their interest. One of the girls raised her voice, her dyed blonde curls bouncing as she spoke, "no way! Shiki is by far the best! His eyes are gorgeous, also his quiet and stoic personality are all part of his allure! Isn't he just so handsome!?" She said enthusiastically, as if she had just come upon a revelation. The other two nodded in agreement. 

I held back a snicker, "are you really that pathetic that you have nothing better to do with your lives than discuss the allure of the Night Class?" 

All three girls snapped their heads around so fast I thought they might break their necks, a mixture of anger and shock adorned their faces. Which now that I noticed, were covered in a thick layer of make-up. The girl in the middle, supposedly their 'leader' piped up, "who are you calling pathetic!?" 

"You obviously," this time I could not help but laugh. "You and your groupies look like a clown and two carrots," I said in-between chuckles. It was true, her two sidekicks had very bad fake tans and the one in the middle had the thickest make-up I had ever seen. Her lips were an ugly shade of orange and she wore dark blue eyeshadow which clashed to say the least. But most importantly she had the thickest fake eyelashes I had ever seen, they were like black hairy spiders reaching over her eyeballs.

"Carrots!?" The two groupies gasped. The other groupie with straight black hair turned to spider-lashes. "Asami-chan, are you going to let her talk to us like that!?" she screeched. 

"How dare you, do you have any idea who my father is!?" Asami yelled, shoving her way through the rows of seats and stomping up the stairs, her friends trailing closely behind. 

"Jeez you guys are loud, and no I don't believe I am acquainted with your father." 

They stood a mere metre in front of me now, the whole class spectating. I caught a glimpse of the teacher, a vein stood out on her forehead and her right eye twitched agitatedly. 

"I will have you know that my father owns over half the-" 

"What has that got to do with you?" I scoffed. 

"What..." Asami looked puzzled for a second, her brown eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean? My father's wealth has everything to do with me. If I wished for it, he could easily make your life miserable," she smirked triumphantly. 

"Do you always rely on your father to fix your problems? Or do you just lack the tenacity to face your own challenges?" She was taken aback, her groupies gasped dramatically as the classroom filled with a mixture of cheers and laughter. I smirked, I felt as though I were in a movie, and a cliché one at that. 

"Suzuki-san! I believe that is quite enough!" The teacher boomed over excited students. The class was once again silenced as the teacher climbed the stairs, taking large strides with each step. Her squarish glasses were falling off her nose while she clenched a now slightly crumpled notebook in her hand. 

"Now you've done it..." The blonde girl muttered bitterly. All three girls straightened up, their faces contorting into scared 'innocent' expressions. "T-Teacher, Suzuki-san is bullying us." The black-haired girl whined. 

Upon reaching my desk the teacher gave me an icy glare. "What do you think you're doing Suzuki-san!? Disrupting my class, causing chaos and anarchy-" 

"It wasn't my fault, I didn't start it. It was Spider-lashes here and her the Carrot Twins!" The rest of the class sweat-dropped, some holding back laughter. 

"Spider-lashes!? Did you hear that? It's proof she's bullying us!" Spider-lashes screeched. I was starting to get pissed now. 

"I think I've heard enough!" The teacher attempted to grab my arm but I had no intention of complying. I flung my hand forwards in an attempt to avoid her grasp but accidentally over-reached. I felt my hand make contact with something slimy or rather someone. I swung my head around to see Asami falling backwards, a hand print on her face. She let out a shrill scream as she fell on her ass. I watched as one of her fake eyelashes came off from the impact, it fell through the air in what felt like slow motion, eventually landing on the cheek of the blonde. Everyone froze for a few seconds, then all hell broke loose. 

"Eek! A spider, get it off! Get it off!" The blonde screamed, thrashing about and trampling Asami beneath her. I could no longer hold back my laughter and apparently neither could the rest of the class. The teacher watched in horror as Asami finally rose from the floor, crying, yet still managing to glare at her companion. Her make-up was smudged and she was starting to look like a clown out of a horror film. She tried to lunge for me but I was too fast and I watched in amusement as she managed to face-plant my desk. 

The teacher finally snapped out of her daze, "Suzuki-san! Go to the Headmaster's office immediately!" The laughter died down again and the three girls settled down, all glaring daggers at me. 

"Tch, Fine," I huffed. I approached Asami who took a step back. I wiped my hand on her sleeve, the make-up clashing with the dark uniform. "But I still maintain that I did nothing wrong." 

"Now," the teacher pointed to the door. 

I walked down the steps, hands in the pockets of my jacket and my head held high. I opened the door, waving to Asami, "See ya, Spider-lashes." I gave a cheeky smile before slamming the door after myself, striding purposefully down the corridors to find a nice place to rest. No way in hell was I going to see the Headmaster.

I made my way to the rooftop of one of the buildings, resting my arms on the railing, I watched as the trees and the grass moved peacefully in the breeze. I became lost in my own thoughts, allowing the soft breeze to calm me. 

I decided to sit down and lie against the wall of the roof. I silence made it the perfect place for sleep, the only sound was the distant chirping of birds. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, drifting into a light sleep. 

I opened my eyes to the fading colours of the sunset reflecting off a nearby window. I stood up, stretching as I looked around. I heard the distant screams of what I could only imagine was fangirls. "Oh I forgot, the change over," I yawned slightly annoyed knowing what I would soon have to deal with. I let out sigh, "I suppose I should go, Yuki's probably furious." 

I glanced around to make sure no one was watching before I hopped onto the railing. I slowly fell forwards and enjoyed the brief feeling of the wind rushing past me as I neared the ground. I landed gracefully on both feet and made my way through the forest and towards the gate. 

The shrieks of the Day Class become almost deafening as I approached the gate. Yuki struggled to keep the rather forceful girl in two straight lines. "Mirei-san! You're late!" Yuki whined as she wrestled some girls back into place. 

"Sorry..." I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets. 

"Also where were you!? The Headmaster said you didn't come to see him after what happened in class," she asked, annoyed. 

"Well you see, there is this extremely important thing called sleep." She sweat-dropped at my answer. "It's alright Yuki, one day you will become mature enough to understand the significance of sleep." I pat her shoulder in a mocking way. 

She let out a frustrated sigh, "anyway, the Headmaster wants to see you after the changeover." I nodded nonchalantly as she continued to struggle with the fangirls. "Don't push! It's already past the curfew for the Day Class students," Yuki threw out her arms in an attempt to stop the Day Class, but to no avail. The sound of the gates opening could be heard, shortly followed by the shrieks of fangirls. All attempting to get a mere glimpse of the Night Class. I easily kept some of the girls at bay with just a glare as the Night Class stepped through the doors. 

First was Hanabusa, a giant smirk adorned his face. "Here we go..." 

He strolled out the gates confidently, "Hey ladies, did you dream about me last night?"

"I did!" The girls all screamed simultaneously 

"I'm so happy," he continued. "Then... I'll take a detour tonight and invade Yuki Cross' dreams!" He lifted his arm dramatically, his hand forming into a pistol. He dropped his hand and pretended to shoot Yuki. 

"That sounds more like a nightmare..." I muttered to myself. 

The surrounding Day Class girls protested, "no fair! Why only Cross-san!?" 

"Please crash my dream too!" 

"W-wait a minute, Aidou-" Yuki was cut off as some Day Class girls crashed into her. She was pushed backwards and started to fall but she was caught before she hit the ground by a strong pair of arms. She jumped away from the person who had caught her and bowed in apology, "I'm sorry... Kaname?" She raised her head but was surprised to see Zero standing before her. 

"What do you think you're doing?" He scolded whilst Yuki remained silent. The Day Class grumbled about Zero's return in the background. 

A tense silence fell amongst the Night Class as they watched Yuki. "Umm... errr..." she faced downwards as she appeared to be having an internal battle with herself. Yuki didn't get the chance to talk with Zero as he interrupted the silence. 

"Hey all of you! Get back to your dorms," he yelled at the Day Class students as he passed Yuki. 

"Zero," she finally spoke. "Welcome back," she smiled although I could see the pain that she was trying so hard to hide behind that smile. As I tried to hide my amusement at Yuki's blunder I caught the scent of a familiar smell. I crinkled my brow in concentration for a second before I realised that the sweet smell was Kaname's blood although it was quite faint. What was more surprising was that the scent was coming from Zero. At closer inspection I could tell, Kaname's blood was coursing through Zero's veins. 

"Thanks," he nodded to her. He stiffened slightly when he looked past Yuki and his eyes met Kaname's who was still standing by the gate. His messy brown hair, blew gracefully in the wind. They appeared to have a silent conversation through their eyes.

Their stare off was finally broken by Yuki, "alright I'm going to start patrolling the grounds now, so I'll see you around Zero. Oh and Mirei, don't forget to see the Headmaster!" She reminded me whilst running down the path towards the Sun Dorms. 

Kaname kept walking, passing Zero without so much as another glance. He offered me a small but kind smile which I returned as he left Zero and I outside the gates. As soon as Kaname was out of earshot I turned to Zero. "So... how was Kaname's blood." 

His eyes widened slightly, as he was taken aback, "I don't know what you're talking-" 

I sighed frustratedly, "look I don't have all day, just tell me why Kaname let you drink his blood. Because let's be honest there's no way you would be able to drink his blood against his will." 

His jaw clenched as he thought about what to say next. "he said... it was not for my sake." 

"Then, for whom would he let someone drink his blood?" I muttered out loud, more to myself. 'Probably Yuki,' I tensed at the thought. 'Why am I so against that?' 

"He wouldn't say." I relaxed a little as relief washed over me. 

"Well that's no very helpful," I huffed. "If you have nothing more to say then I should probably go see the Headmaster," I said as I turned to walk away.

"Wait," Zero called as I halted. "Just what are you? Not even a hunter would be able to tell I had drunk someone else's blood. You're... you're a vampire aren't you," he spat the out the last part. 

I looked to the ground, my black bangs shadowing my eyes. 'Should I tell him? Does it even matter anymore?' I lifted my head and turned to face Zero, my long hair flowing in the wind. "What do you think?~" I smirked, amused as he narrowed his eyes. 

"Just what are you up to vam-" 

"Look I'd love to discuss this, really I would, but unfortunately I don't have the time right now so let's continue this some other time, okay?" I turned around again not waiting for an answer. I headed towards the Headmaster's office, Zero yelling after me but I ignored him. 

I eventually arrived outside Headmaster Kaien's office, I knocked twice and waited patiently for a reply. A short 'yes' was heard from the other side and I turned the handle and pushed open the dark wooden door, closing it softly behind me. To my surprise the Headmaster was not the only person in the room. Headmaster Kaien sat stoically behind his desk, his long hair tied back as usual and a green shawl rested on his shoulders. However the person I was more interested in was standing in front of his desk. Hina glared slightly at me, her straight posture and and formal clothing reminding me that she was a teacher. Her light hair was tied in a neat bun and she wore a black skirt, white blouse and blue cardigan. 

"Oh Suzuki-san! Do come over here, there's some things I need to discuss with you," he waved me over cheerfully. I ignored Hina's glaring and came to stand beside her, in front of the Headmaster. "I was made aware that you disrupted class today and started a conflict with your peers," he informed me, now serious in tone. 

"Is that so," I hummed. 

His face softened, "However, I also know that there is always two sides to a story so now is your opportunity to tell your version of the event earlier today." My eyes widened slightly, I had not expected him to hear me out. 

"Um..." I mumbled unsure where to start, "well, these girls were gossiping about the Night Class and I may or may not have called them pathetic anyhow, I then-" 

"You called them pathetic?" Hina rudely interrupted.

"Yes, do keep up." I responded. She just readjusted her glasses and looked away. "As I was saying, the three pathetic girls then proceeded to walk up the stairs and try to intimidate me. Needless to say, it didn't work and this aggravated them and the that's when the teacher... um..." 

"Kaede-sensei," Headmaster Kaien reminded me. 

"Yes her, well anyway that's when Kaede-sensei walked up the stairs and tried to grab my arm and in an attempt to avoid her hand, I accidentally slapped Spid- that girl in the face. And the rest is history," I paused to allow my words to sink in. (I have typed Spider-lashes so many times now, that when I wrote 'Spi' it auto-corrected to Spider-Lashes)

The Headmaster nodded deep in thought, "well, Suzuki-san I can see that you are not wholly to blame however, you will still receive some punishment." I nodded in understanding. "So... you have detention for a week and," he looked to Hina. "I'll have Takegawa-sensei here monitor you while you're on patrol for a couple of days. It's just to make sure you don't get into any trouble." I opened my mouth to protest but the Headmaster cut me off, returning to his happy-go-lucky nature, "so on that note, do try to get along!" He put a hand on Hina's and my shoulder, directing us to the door. 

"O-Oi I don't need a babysitter!" I tried to turn dig my feet into the ground before we reached the door but it was to no avail, Headmaster Kaien opened the door and pushed Hina and I out. 

"Have fun~" he waved before closing the door, leaving me bewildered. 

"That- that bastard," I muttered irritably. I continued to grumble under my breathe before Hina cleared her throat. 

"I don't like you," Hina started.

"Wow, nice to see you too," I responded monotonously. 

"As I was saying, I don't like you but for the sake of fulfilling my job I will tolerate you, I was hoping we could reach an agreement."

I nodded, "fine, I won't cause too much trouble but don't go trying to kill me again. Because this time, I won't hold back." I said, giving her a short glare. 

She flinched slightly before straightening up again, "I won't do something like that, at least for the next couple of days." 

"Fine," I huffed. "Let's go," I wandered down the hallway to start patrolling. I walked through the forest, Hina following closely behind, much to my displeasure.

The night progressed fairly quietly, I strolled around the grounds enjoying the cool breeze and sounds of the night. We strolled through the forest for a while, in awkward silence, neither of us dared to start a conversation which was sure to develop into an argument. I let out a short sigh before turning my head abruptly to my left. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hina asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. 

"We have company," I said, glaring at some trees and shrubbery, twenty or so metres away. Hina reached for her staff which she kept strapped to her leg, similar to Yuki. "You won't need that, they're human." I said without turning around. The trees rustled as the mystery person continued to hide. "You over there! I suggest you show yourself or... well you don't want to know what the other option is," I yelled as the person cursed loudly and came out from their hiding spot and began walking towards us. A familiar face came into view, "oh, it's only Spider-lashes." She narrowed her eyes at her nickname. 

"It's A-sa-mi," she drew out the syllables. "Of course I just had to run into the Disciplinary Committee," she grumbled. 

"Why Spider-lashes?" Hina asked. Asami finally reached us and her face came into full view. "Oh, I see now," Hina remarked, raising an eyebrow at the girl's appearance. She was still wearing her uniform, her hair in a high pony-tail, and new layer of make-up had been slathered on, her fake eyelashes replaced. 

"Where are the carrots?" I asked, stuffing my hands into my pockets, slightly annoyed by her presence. 

"They were not up to the challenge," she informed us. 

"Challenge?" Hina asked incredulously. Spider-lashes laughed lowly, her eyes narrowing in amusement. 'Not creepy at all...' She reached for something in the pocket of her skirt. 

"Yes, the challenge to take photos of the Night Class of course!" She whipped out her camera dramatically. Hina deadpanned and I let out an irritated sigh. 'I came here to amuse myself for a while, not to talk with some bothersome bimbo.'

"Would you quit your screeching? You're going to give me a headache." Spider-lashes let out a huff, displeased by my reaction. "Clearly you don't understand the beauty of the Night Class! Their unblemished skin, smooth like porcelain, shines in the moonlight!" She continued to ramble, much to my and Hina's annoyance. While Spider-lashes continued to rave Hina approached her, adjusting her glasses, a sign I had learnt, indicates her frustration. 

"So what you're telling me is..." Hina grabbed her shoulder, "you have broken curfew to take illegal photographs of those- those nocturnal miscreants," she finished icily, clearly restraining herself from other 'colourful' words. Her face remained impassive, however her eyes were chilling, it almost appeared as though darkness was escaping her form. Spider-lashes let out a startled squeak, she remained petrified in place. "So... I suggest that you..." I drowned them out as I felt an unfamiliar presence on the school grounds. 'They are definitely not human... probably a stray Level E.' 

"Hina," I interrupted her and she turned her head to face me, still clutching the student. 

"What is it now?" She questioned, obviously irritated. 

"A vampire," her face darkened slightly before she jumped into action, dropping Spider-lashes. She grabbed her staff, the gold glistening in the moonlight. 

"Where?" She scanned the area, looking for anything that stood out. 

"Not here, towards the edge of the forest and there's more nearby." I informed her, unzipping my jacket so that I could access my daggers if the need were to arise. Spider-lashes looked back and forth between us, clearly baffled by our change in attitude. "That way," I pointed behind her.

Hina nodded, "stay here with... with um... Spider-lashes," she gave up on her name. She then began running swiftly in the direction which I had pointed her. 

I looked between where the unfamiliar presence and Spider-lashes were, "hell no, I am not babysitting her," I decided without much thought. 

"Does nobody care to learn my name!?" Spider-lashes screeched frustratedly. 

"Can't say that I do, now stay there like a good little clown," I said, referring to her make-up before running after Hina. I jumped into a nearby tree and continued hopping from tree to tree.

"Clown!?" I heard a scream in the distance. 'Well she's a little slow.' I pushed on, only slowing down when I saw a small clearing close to the edge of the grounds. I stopped in a tree on the edge of the clearing and watched as Hina arrived as well. She walked below me, puffing lightly as she approached the figure which stood by a tree on the other side of the clearing. 

A bespectacled vampire stood, smirking sinisterly. He didn't appear mindless like a Level E. He wore a neat suit, his posture appeared somewhat normal, and he was yet to attack Hina. "Hello Miss," he greeted her seemingly normal, although there were hints of laughter as he spoke. "This is Cross Academy, is it not?" Hina narrowed her eyes, keeping her distance. "I apologise for visiting at such a late hour but... I'm afraid I lost track of time at the office." He finished, still grinning. 

"State your real purpose for being here... vampire," she spat poisonously. 

"Oh? You know what I am, you're a guardian right? To tell me... where is... the other guardian!" He yelled the last part, his nails growing into talons as he lunged towards Hina. She blocked his attack and jumped backwards to avoid his other claw-like hand. 

"I am not a guardian of this academy," she said, glaring at him. 

I jumped down from the tree where I had been watching, strolling over to them. "She may not be, but I am." I informed him, his eyes widened before narrowing again and setting his focus upon me. 

"I can handle this, he doesn't appear to be too strong," Hina said. 

"Fine, I'll let you have some fun but if I see you struggling, I'm stepping in," she scoffed but did not disagree. "Well I don't want you dying on me now, someone might think that I did it. And we can't have that," I remarked as the vampire threw off his glasses and began charging towards me. "On that note..." Hina intercepted the attack with her staff the metal sparked against his sharp nails. "I'll leave him to you." I wandered away from their fight and sat crosslegged on the grass nearby. 

Hina stood between the vampire and I, her staff raised defensively. "You will have to get through me first." Hina ran forwards, taking the offensive and swung her staff downwards to collide with his talons. 'It's like watching a movie,' I thought to myself, amused. I continued studying their movements expecting the fight to be over quickly but I soon caught on that this vampire appeared to be a little smarter than I had first suspected, not taking stupid risks. Hina fastened her attacks, wanting to end the fight quickly, her strikes became reckless as I stood up from my spot, grabbing my dagger Yuugure. The cold metal sparked slightly from my touch but I ignored it as I continued to watch the fight. "Prepare to die, vampire!" Hina leapt above the vampire, bringing her staff down with a strong downward momentum. I narrowed my eyes as the vampire swerved to the right as she attacked, his face only gaining a slight graze. 

"Weak human!" The vampire smirked and twisted around to lunge for her as she reached the ground, her eyes widened in horror as she was able to do nothing, still caught in the momentum of her swing. In what felt like an eternity but only lasted a moments, I drew my hand back before swiftly throwing my dagger with more force than a human could muster. The vampire was struck in the shoulder and let out a roar of pain as he sunk to the ground, cradling his wounded shoulder. Hina kneeled beside him, her hands gripped her knees tightly, still in shock after her near death experience. I stalked towards the vampire, standing before him. My bangs shadowed my eyes. He glared up at me, blood pouring from the wound in his shoulder, his eyes full of rage. 

"How dare you-" 

"You know..." I interrupted him, keeping my voice calm. "This will all end fairly painlessly if you tell me who you work for now," I finished.

He chuckled, his patience starting to leave him, "what could a mere human do to me? I'm a vampire!" He laughed sadistically, seemingly disregarding the pain of his shoulder. 

"You are wrong on two accounts," he quirked an eyebrow in confusion and waited for me to continue, "you are no vampire, you are an embarrassment of a vampire to say the least and..." I could not help the small sadistic smile which crept onto my face. "I am no human." I allowed my eyes to change to a crimson red, I let some of my vampiric presence escape but not enough to tell that I was a Pureblood. I smirked as he squirmed uncomfortably under my gaze, obviously aware of our difference in strength. "For whom do you work?" 

"The Senate," he did not hesitate to reveal his superior's identity. 

I huffed, "and what does the Senate want with Cross Academy?" He looked reluctant to answer but I sent him a glare. 

"I was sent here to execute Kiryu Zero, a guardian of this academy. For the murder of Hiou Shizuka," he informed me. I waited a moment to let the information sink in before I glared at him once more. "Sorry but, I can't let you do that." 

"I am carrying out order from the Senate-" 

"I don't care about the Senate, that senile old bastard can't have everything he wants," I muttered irritably. 

"I must carry out my orders," he glared back, obviously gaining confidence in the idea of the support of the Senate. 

"Then I guess I'll have to execute you first," I smiled with my eyes closed. "Terribly sorry~" Realisation seemed to hit him as he lifted himself off his knees and attempted to run. "That won't work," with one swipe of my hand the shadows from the trees surrounding him and even his own shadow morphed into hands, reaching for him as he scrambled away. A dark hand wrapped around his ankle dragging him to his knees. The other shadows held him in place as he looked to me in horror. 

"W-Who are you?" He quivered in fear, aware of his fate. 

"Who am I?" My smirk broadened and I let out a small chuckle, "I'm your worst fucking nightmare." with one swift movement, I slipped my other dagger, Yoake from the pocket of my jacket and pierced his chest, stopping his heart. He looked between the dagger and me, tears slipping from his wide eyes. Barely a second later his body faded away, shifting to ashes. The only evidence of his existence was the pile of ashes at my feat and the blood which sullied my otherwise shiny blades. I lifted my daggers from the ground, wiping them off and placing them safely within my jacket once more. 

I immediately let my eyes fade back to blue, hiding my presence as a vampire. "Did you enjoy the show?" My voice echoed throughout the darkness. More members from the Senate arrived glaring at me and the now standing Hina.

Before they had the chance to answer one of the members of the Senate turned to dust. "It was inevitable for Shizuka to be hunted down by Zero for what she did," I turned to see Kaname and the rest of the Night Class had teleported to the clearing. 

The members of the Senate immediately kneeled, bowing deeply with respect. "Kaname-sama," they acknowledged. 

"Look who's joined the party," I waved casually to Kaname and the rest of the Night Class, hoping they had not just witnessed what had unfolded. 

He ignored me, "tell me, why does the Senate feel so strongly about the execution of Kiryu Zero? To protect the so-called sanctity of Pureblood's?" 

"Kaname-sama, if a Pureblood such as yourself stands in our way, we cannot complete our mission," the leader of the group responded, still bowing. 

"Perhaps you are unaware, this academy is very dear to me. I don't want it spoiled by foolish acts of vengeance, performed by the Senate's henchmen," he spat venomously, his eyes turning a brilliant crimson.

"Kaname-sama please-" the leader was interrupted as he collapsed in pain, his shoulder now wounded due to Kaname. I heard a small gasp and noticed Yuki and Zero stood behind the Night Class, weapons drawn. 

"Leave now," Kaname threatened. 

The leader regained composure, "your choice to protect Kiryu Zero..." his body began to dissolve into the atmosphere, "shall be reported back to the Senate, Kaname-sama," he finished bitterly as he and his group teleported away. Kaname let his eyes return to normal as some of the tension dissipated. 

"Are you alright?" He approached Hina and I. 'Why would he ask if I'm alright? He knows I'm a Pureblood, so why would he care for me?' 

"Yeah..." I nodded and glanced at Hina who was still shaking slightly. "Although she may not be." 

"I'm fine!" she said determinedly, she now straightened herself once more, looking once more as she had earlier that evening, rigid and unyielding. Although tremors still shot through her hands as she clasped her weapon tightly. 

"That is good to hear," he gave me a faint smile. I had to refrain from smiling back.

"So Kaname," Zero started, stepping further into the clearing, followed closely by Yuki. "Why did you save me?" 

"Because I simply will not tolerate the execution of a school mate, by foolish members of my race for groundless reasons," Kaname met Zero glare. 

Zero let out a grunt before stalking off, "Zero!" Yuki attempted to run after him. She stopped to look back, meeting eyes with Kaname she bowed briefly, "thank you." 

"It's fine," Kaname responded. 

"No..." Yuki shook her head, "thank you but, there is absolutely no reason why Zero should be targeted for this." 

"Yes, I know that," Kaname said softly, "don't worry." He walked closer to her. 

"No you don't understand!" Yuki yelled, backing away from him. 

"How dare you speak that way to-" Ruka tried to argue but was cut off by Ichijou. 

He rested his hand gently on her shoulder, "now now, everyone it is time you all go back to the classroom." Ruka settled, letting out a huff. 

"Let's go," Hanabusa took the lead, surprising Ruka and Akatsuki. The rest of the Night Class followed shortly after, excluding Ichijou who remained behind. 

"Just what is it that I don't understand?" Kaname asked calmly. 

"Shizuka... it wasn't Zero who killed her!" Yuki yelled, "he is not the guilty one and you until you admit that Zero is innocent, I won't ever speak to you again!" She ran off, into the forest and towards the Sun Dorm. 

Kaname's eyes filled with pain and anger. 'Why is it that Yuki can make him feel that way but I cannot?' I shook my head to try to rid myself of these thoughts. 'I should not care for Kaname or Yuki for that matter... relationships only lead to pain,' I tried to convince myself. 

"Hahaha," I heard Ichijou's soft chuckles, "is this a children's quarrel?" He asked between laughter. Kaname swung his head around to glare at Ichijou, a bang was heard as the tree next to Ichijou's head gained a large hole. "Um... very sorry," he quickly apologised sweat-dropping. 

I heard shuffling behind me as Hina came to stand behind me, still holding her golden staff. She had completely composed herself and it were as if she had never been frightened at all. 

"You know..." I let a smirk creep onto my face, "you owe me, after I miraculously saved your life." 

I saw anger flash through her eyes, "this one act cannot, and will not repair the damage from the past. Besides your aim was off." 

"I do apologise to her highness, would you prefer I had not thrown the dagger at all? And where would you be now? Impaled most likely," I finished matter-of-factly. 

She opened her mouth to argue but was cut off by Ichijou, "um... excuse me but, who are you? I don't believe we have met." He smiled, his green eyes almost shimmering. 'Damn those sparkles.' 

"Why should I tell you, vampire," she spat venomously. Ichijou's face dropped as he sighed dejectedly. 'He looks like a little lost puppy.'

"I'm sorry, I was hoping we could be friends although that is a little presumptuous, maybe good acquaintances?" He asked hopefully. 

"How dare you be rude to someone as adorable as him? Don't you see that face!?" I scolded her, pointing to Ichijou dramatically. 

"Cute or not, he's still a vampire. And as a hunter I will not associate with such a beast." I sent her a glare, by calling Ichijou a beast she was insinuating that I was as well. 

"I wonder..." I smiled sadistically, pulling out my dagger Yoake which still had traces of blood, "do anti-vampire weapons work on humans too?" The blade sparked slightly within my grasp, I began to approach her slowly as she brought her staff into a defensive position. 

"S-Suzuki-san! There's no need for violence," Ichijou called from behind me. I ignored his calls, I did not intend to hurt Hina only to mess with her.

I raised the dagger, slowly drawing it back and watching her reactions amusedly. In a split second I released the dagger, and it embedded itself into the tree beside her, mere millimetres away from her head. Her eyes widened as she realised how close she had come to death for the second time that night. "Oops, seems like you were right, my aim is a little off. Shall I try again?" She removed her glasses to analyse a scratch that ran down the side. I reached for my other dagger but a voice interrupted me. 

"Suzuki-san, that's enough," Kaname said sternly. Whilst Ichijou panicked beside him, his hands running through his blonde hair as he paced back and forth. 

"Tch, you're no fun," I dropped my hand and approached the tree at which I had thrown my dagger. "If you want to be a hunter, you must always be prepared for death. It seems to me that you are not cut out to be a hunter." I announced as I reached for the dagger still beside her, "quit while you're ahead, Hi-na-chan~" I muttered lowly so that only Hina and I could hear. She displayed a mixture of emotions, ranging from fear to confusion to anger. 'It's better if she's not a hunter... it's safer. Wait, why should I care for her anyway?' 

"I-" She swallowed the lump in her throat, "I am cut out to be a hunter! What right do you have to say that to me!?" Tears began to well in her eyes, "you're the one that made me like this!" Her knuckled turned white as she clenched the staff, she looked to me, enraged. "This is all your fault." Unable to keep the tears from falling, she sprinted further into the forest, the thudding of her feet faded as she left me stunned in her wake. 

"Just what did I do?" I muttered under my breathe. 'Why am I always hated?'


	19. chapter 19

Mirei's POV

I walked back through the forest and into the Sun Dorms, the usually busy hallways were silent and dimly lit. 'At least I will get some peace and quiet.' Upon reaching my room, I swung the door open, closed it behind me and collapsed on the bed. Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, I rolled onto my side as I closed my eyes to sleep, deciding I lacked the motivation to get changed. 'This is all your fault!" Hina's words echoed through my head and I felt a headache coming on. 'No, whatever she's talking about, it's not your fault,' I reminded myself. But I could not help feeling guilty. 'Maybe it is my fault... like that night...' 

"I should not care this much," I sighed, it became apparent that I would not be getting sleep anytime soon. I sat up, the pain in my head increasing. It was then that I noticed that my thirst for blood was starting to grow stronger. I willed myself to get up and shuffle into the bathroom. I reached for the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a blood tablet and a glass. I filled the glass with water from the tap and dropped the blood tablet into the clear water. I watched, uninterested as the the tablet dissolved and dyed the water a familiar red. I gulped down the less than appetising red liquid, somehow the tablets had become even more unbearable since the last time. I rinsed out the glass and returned it to the cabinet under the sink. Glancing in the mirror, I noticed my tried appearance and shook my head. "What am I doing? I came to this academy to have fun," I whispered to myself. I straightened up, "so, I will have fun." I made up my mind and decided I should do something to get my mind off of Hina. "Now... who shall I annoy? Hanabusa? No... Zero? No way... Kanme is already annoyed as it is... oh well he seems my best option for now," I thought out loud. I exited the bathroom and walked to my wardrobe, replacing my current jacket with a maroon, thicker one as the nights had become a little chilly as of recent. I slipped out of my room, double checking that I had both my daggers safely within my jacket, just in case. 

The walk to the Moon Dormitories was short but pleasant. It was hard to believe the events from earlier had really taken place a mere two hours prior. I stopped outside the gate for the changeover as I did not feel like running into anyone from the Night Class. I could sense that Kaname was indeed in his room and a small smirk crept onto my lips. In less than a moment I had teleported onto the ledge outside Kaname's window, the curtains billowed in the breeze as the window was already open. I silently jumped into his room only to see Kaname spread across his red lounge. He did not appear surprised by my sudden appearance.

"To what do I owe this visit?" He questioned, his hand was wrapped around a glass of water which, had been dyed red by a blood tablet. 

"Just thought I'd pop in to say hello," I informed him, a mischievous smile adorned my face. I walked away from the window and stood in front of him with my hand resting on my hip. "So tell me, are you still sulking?" 

"I do not believe I was sulking, irritated yes, but I was not sulking," I corrected me. 

"Nope," I hummed, "you were definitely sulking. I mean, you're still doing it now," I gestured to him. 

"Oh, how so?" I could hear the slight irritation in his voice. 'Perfect.' 

"Well to be frank, you've locked yourself in your room, you avoid everyone while you lounge around eating blood tablets and wallowing in self pity," I concluded. 

"Why should I be pitied?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"I didn't say that, I said that you're wallowing in self pity, do pay attention." 

He scoffed, "of course." An uncomfortable silence settled between us as I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket. 

"Just why are you so obsessed with Yuki?" He furrowed his brows, "I mean she's human, as nice as she may be, she won't live for very long." 

He smiled slightly as my comment as it finding it a little humorous before returning to his serious self. He paused for a while, as if contemplating if he should tell me or not. "That... is for another time," he decided. I could not help but find his answer disconcerting. That was not the reply for which I had hoped. 

I looked to the ground, finding myself unable to meet his gaze, my voice quiet, "then... why is it that Yuki is so special to you? How can she be so important to you?" My voice was on the verge of cracking as I felt an unfamiliar emotion welling up inside my chest. "It's like you see no-one but her..." I finally realised how this must sound, like I am in love with him. 'What am I thinking, I can't actually be in love with him! Can I?' 

Kaname sat unmoving, however his eyes widened as he was taken aback by my questioning. "I..." he thought for a moment. "You are right, Yuki is important to me. I see her as a little sister," he finished, his eyes staring back at me, unwavering. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, I hope he did not see how his words had affected me. 

"A-A little sister you say?" I was still surprised by this new development. 

He nodded, "I have known Yuki since she was born, I won't go into the specifics," he added. "But I have always watched over her as her older brother, therefore I will protect her as long as she lives." Kaname's face softened as if remembering Yuki as a child and the happier moments. 

"I see..." I mumbled. "I can understand wanting to protect someone." I offered him a small smile which he returned.

"I know," he smiled knowingly. 

"What do you mean?" I questioned, my brows furrowed. 

"What you said to that Hunter girl, it may have sounded harsh but you just didn't want her to get hurt right? Considering being a Hunter is a dangerous profession," he lifted his glass from the table, swishing it in a circular motion. 

I was was at a loss of words, ‘how did he notice...?’ I shook my head slightly, “it’s just the way it turned out, I don’t particularly care for her...” Even I knew that was a lie, Hina had changed, there was no doubt about that. But I cannot help but want to protect her. I know it is only wishful thinking but, all I want is to regain that friendship. ‘Should I tell him?’ I gulped, “Hina is...” I hesitated, “an old aquaintance of mine I guess you could say... it’s just a habit to look out for her.”

“I see,” he smiled softly, not prying any further. ‘I think this is the I have seen him smile... it’s nice.’ His smile quickly dissipated as he closed his eyes for a moment. I could not tell if it was out of pain or concentration. He reopened his eyes, tightened his grip on the glass and with one gulp, drank the red liquid. His eyes squinted in slight disgust, the drink clearly not what he truly desired. 

"Careful there, any faster and you would have choked," I commented, amused. I took a few steps closer, "honestly, you must be growing impatient. How long has it been since you last drank blood?" 

He did not meet my gaze, "blood tablets work just fine." 

"Come now, we both know that those tablets cannot keep that thirst at bay forever. Besides, they taste like crap," I admitted. 

He chuckled softly, “I cannot deny that.” We slipped into a comfortable silence as I took a seat on the coffee table. 

“You know...” I gulped, suddenly nervous, “I wouldn’t mind giving you my blood..” ‘What am I saying!?’ He looked up, surprised. “D-Don’t get me wrong, I’m just returning the favour... or something. I really don’t...” I stopped, realising that his eyes were trained on my neck. I felt my heart speed up for some reason. “I’ll take that as a yes then...” I approached him slowly, my heart started to clench as I kneeled in front of him. 

"Are you sure?" He asked calmly, we made eye contact and for a moment I found myself lost in his wine-coloured eyes. All my doubt washed away and I gave him a small nod. I felt a tug as he snaked an arm around my waist and swiftly pulled my onto the lounge so that I laying on underneath him, his arms trapping me. His eyes shifted to a crimson red, he did not hesitate a second longer to lower his head to my neck, his long hair tickling my cheek. I closed my eyes awaiting the sharp pain I knew would come. In a quick motion Kaname bit down on my neck, drawing my blood. I inhaled sharply at the pain but it quickly melted away. His grasp tightened around my arm and waist as he greedily gulped down my blood.

I stared blankly at the ceiling as he devoured my blood. 'He must have been holding back for a long time.' I felt him flinch slightly against my neck, he shifted his body and pulled his head up to look down at me, still.

"Was my blood that delicious?" I recited his own words. He smirked slightly with amusement but, it was quickly replaced with an unreadable emotion. He appeared to be almost... sad? 'What is he thinking?' I reached towards his face and rubbed away some of my blood at the corner of his mouth.

His eyes widened slightly before a sullen look took over his face, "I saw one of your memories..." I felt panic rise within me, what had he seen? "A fire..." he continued, "crying, screaming and death." He recalled what he had seen. I knew to what he was referring. The night I had lost the only mother-figure I had ever known, the night I lost the last person who truly cared for me. 

It was now that I noticed something wet running down my cheeks. 'Am I crying?' I tried to blink the tears away but that only aided in blurring my vision. I reached a hand up to wipe them away but Kaname grabbed it before I could. "Don't..." He leaned closer to my face as I instinctively closed my eyes but I quickly reopened them in surprise as I felt his lips on my cheek. He pulled his face away, the moonlight shone off his face like ivory. He smiled lightly, "these take good too." I felt the heat rise to my face as I looked away. "Will you tell me about it?" Kaname whispered. I looked back to him, a little confused and nervous. I felt an arm snake around my waist as I nodded, still slightly dazed. 

He sat me up so that I was sitting on his lap, my back against his, his arms wrapped around my torso. Strangely enough I did not hate it, rather I could not help but relax into his warmth. I took a deep breathe as he waited patiently for me to start. 'How much should I tell him? Will he judge me? Will he call me a monster too?' I started to panic inwardly. 

"Take your time," he reassured and I took another deep breathe. 

"Suzuki as your aware is not my real name..." I started quietly, "I took the name Suzuki from the woman I saw as my mother. Her name was Suzuki Sanako," I felt tears begin to well in my eyes at the mention of her name.

Kaname nodded his head slightly, "I remember her, she was a wealthy aristocrat that did not see eye to eye with the Senate." 

"You're right about that," I snickered under my breathe. "She took me in when I had no one, I was always causing trouble but she never punished me, she was gentle and understanding. Anyway, she often disagreed with the Senate and they were looking for any possible way to take her down and destroy her." I gripped the hem of my jacket tightly within my hands before Kaname entwined one of his own with mine. He squeezed my hand reassuringly and I felt the warmth radiate through his hand and into mine.

"One day I caused an accident at the school I was attending, I... I didn't know how to control my powers yet and I these children.... all of them..." I gulped before continuing, "and when I returned home to Sanako-san, she comforted me and told me we would move before anyone found out but... it was too late. The Senate had already could wind of what I had done and they planned to kill us both." I paused for a moment, my breathing was irregular as I recalled the painful memories. I took a few more deep breathes, clasping Kaname's hand, "that night, they attacked, Sanako-san tried to fight back but there were too many of them. They set the mansion on fire and that's when she told me to run, to 'live for her sake.' I managed to escape and I stood helplessly as I watched the mansion burn to ground. I can still hear the screams of the servants in that house and most of all I remember her voice." I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shut out the memories but to no avail. "It was all my fault... and I was useless!" I raised my voice, frustrated with myself. "I couldn't even protect her!" the tears escaped my eyes again and I buried my head in Kaname's chest as I sobbed. "It r-really was my fault... I should have protected her..." I choked out. 

He rubbed my back, not caring that I was currently soaking his shirt in tears. 'He must think I'm so weak.' 

"You're wrong," he pulled me into a tight embrace as I calmed down. "It was not your fault, besides all she wanted was for you to live. Shouldn't you live to the fullest to honour her final wish." 

I broke away from him and looked into his dark eyes. They were filled with affection. 'Could I be imagining this?' 

I looked away, feeling self conscious all of a sudden, "I probably look horrible..." my voice was hoarse from crying. He smiled genuinely before pulling me back into his embrace. "Thank you..." I mumbled into his shirt before relaxing into his arms, his familiar warmth slowly lulling me to into a deep sleep.


	20. chapter 20

Mirei's POV

I let out a short yawn before sitting up in bed. I lifted the blanket before glancing around the room groggily. "Wait..." I found myself sitting on an unfamiliar bed which was encompassed by large purple curtains. "Oh right," it finally occurred to me that this was not in fact my room but Kaname's. I stood from the bed and walked further into the room, pushing through a large curtain which hung around the bed. The previous night, I had not even noticed the bed in the corner of the room. 

Kaname had fallen asleep on the couch, an arm and leg dangled freely off the sofa. A book was resting in his other hand which he held to his chest. I approached him silently, his usually serious featured seemed so peaceful whilst he was sleeping. I just want to reach out my hand and touch his cheek, it looked so soft. I quickly shook my head, ‘what am I thinking?’

I walked over to the window, drawing back the curtain slightly. It looked to be around midday which meant half of my classes were already over. I glanced back at Kaname, the previous nights events were still fresh in my mind. I lifted my hand to my neck, Kaname's bite marks had already faded. "Why does he always see me when I'm at my weakest possible state?" I whined. 

"You're not weak," Kaname responded whilst propping himself up. 

My face heated up out of embarrassment, "you weren't meant to hear that..." I mumbled. He chuckled tiredly, "what are you doing awake anyway? It's the middle of the day, go back to sleep!" 

"I would, if someone would stop yelling," he grumbled. 

"I'm not yelling!" I denied, "a-alright I might have raised my voice.... slightly." Kaname chuckled lightly and I felt my face heat up again. "Anyway, I have already missed half of my classes so I should really be going," I informed him before teleporting to my room to get changed. 

Now wearing new clothes, I strolled through the hallways to my class. "Suzuki-san!" a voice called from behind me. I sighed, turning around to see Headmaster Kaien. "Suzuki-san!" he said, between pants, "what are you doing out of class?" he asked as he finally reached me. 

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Taking a midday stroll," informed him. 

"Right... well either way I'm glad I found you," he gathered himself. "As you are aware, you are to be under the supervision of Takegawa-sensei however, her presence is required at a soiree tonight and it appears that you will have to accompany her." 

"Huh?" I questioned, a little baffled, "would it not be easier if I did not attend?" 

"Usually, but tonight the Night Class will also be attending the event so there is no need for the Disciplinary Committee to continue their duties." 

"Do I get a say in this?" I asked. I really hated attending such gatherings, I had been forced to go to a few balls in the past and I do not recall enjoying a single one of them. 

"Nope~" The Headmaster returned to his happy-go-lucky demeanour. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you picked a fight with your fellow peers," he shrugged. "Anyway, Takegawa-sensei will meet you at the front gate in three hours so make sure to be ready~" he sang before skipping off down the hallway. 

"Great..." I muttered sarcastically. "One thing is for sure, I am not going to wear a dress." I retreated back to my room to relax for the next few hours.

\- - - - - Timeskip - - - - -

I trudged towards the school gate, dreading the night ahead. I had changed into some black jeans with a red shirt and a thick jacket as the weather had become quite cool. I made sure to hide my daggers deep within my jacket before leaving. Hina was waiting by the gate, she tapped her foot impatiently as I arrived. 

"I have been waiting here for half an hour," she spat. 

"Oops," I shrugged. “I guess I lost track of time.” 

“Whatever,” she scoffed before walking out the gate and towards the town. 

The sun was beginning to set as we strolled through the town. The stores and cafes had begun to close for the evening, packing away merchandise and closing their doors. The only people left on the streets were middle-aged men and women, walking briskly past to return to their families. 

I sighed, “so... why are a bunch of hunters required to attend a dinner party?” Hina did not respond, only fastening her pace. “Oh? Are you ignoring me? I must say, I wouldn’t recommend it, I happen to feel quite talkative, I’m sure it will get quite annoying.” 

She let out an exasperated sigh, “this party will be filled with many important and powerful vampires therefore, as a sign of trust, Hunters have been allowed to monitor the party,” she explained. 

“Trust huh...” I mumbled. “Isn’t it the exact opposite.” 

“Essentially yes,” she confirmed without turning around. “I have no reason to trust such vile creatures,” she spat. I cringed inwardly. “If you even think about causing any trouble tonight, I won’t hesitate to cut you down.” She said venomously. 

I raised my hands defensively, “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I answered half-heartedly. She shook her head before gesturing to a building a few metres down the street. 

“That’s the venue,” she informed me before approaching the large house. She knocked on the wooden door twice before it slowly shifted open.

We were greeted by what appeared to be a butler, ah you must be one of the Hunters here to monitor,” he smiled at Hina. “And... he noticed my somewhat casual attire. “Another Hunter?” I smiled slightly, the thought of me as a Hunter was amusing. I noticed he was a low level vampire. Hina nodded curtly before following the man inside with me trailing behind, already bored.

We were led down a staircase to a large hall filled with aristocratic vampires. Ladies wore extravagant ball gowns while the men were dressed in suits of varying colours. I could not help but feel out of place in my jeans and oversized jacket however, I did not regret my decision to wear comfortable clothes. There were several tables which, were covered in various expensive foods. Waiters paced around the room, offering champagne to guests. 

I followed Hina over to the edge of the room where she stood by a pillar. Constant chatter filled my ears as I leant against the pillar, wishing to be anywhere but here. Across the room I caught sight of Zero, a sour expression adorned his face as usual. 

“I guess even he couldn’t get out of it,” I muttered to myself. I turned to Hina, “so what now? We just watch as they socialise and flaunt their riches and power?” 

“Yes,” she affirmed, clearly irritated. 

“But that’s so boring~” I whined, “maybe... we should spice things up,” I suggested with a smirk. 

“Do you not remember my words?” she glared dangerously at me. 

“What a glare! I’m positively petrified~” I teased. “Relax, I’d rather be back at Cross Academy right now anyway.” 

“Either way, I’m not taking my eyes off of you,” she warned. 

“I’m honoured, I never knew you you were so captivated by me,” I joked. She ignored me and redirected her attention to the crowd of aristocracts. I kept quiet for the next half hour or so before I noticed the some members of the Night Class nearby. ‘Does that mean that he’s here?’ 

I searched the crowd for his familiar face. I easily spotted Kaname beside Ichijou, his tall figure was surrounded by power-hungry vampires. They all smiled and joked with him but I knew that it was all an act. I felt sympathetic, for I also knew what it was like to be surrounded by insincere people. 

“Honestly, they’re like vultures circling their prey,” he huffed. 

“That is the true nature of your kind, greedy,” Hina spat. 

“Is that so? Although I think greed is a trait that vampires and humans alike share,” I remarked. She looked away, not responding. “Humans can be just as grotesque as vampires.” 

I let out a long sigh as I spotted Hanabusa, Akatsuki and Ruka approaching. “Suzuki-san, what are you doing here?” Hanabusa asked, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

“Nice to see you too,” I smiled humorously. “I thought you’d be attached to your beloved Kaname-sama.” 

Hanabusa’s face flushed slightly which, I found amusing. “I-I’m not that attached to him!” he screeched. 

“I hate to be the one to say this but...” Akatsuki started, “you kind of are.” 

“W-What!? Akatsuki! You traitor,” he whined. “How could you~?” Ruka cleared her throat, arms crossed as she balanced a glass a champagne. “Oh right,” Hanabusa regained his composure, “so why are you here?” 

“I can promiss you, it’s not voluntary,” I admitted. The trio shared a look before glanced at Hina then back to me. 

“Don’t tell me,” Hanabusa started, “you’re a Hunter? Because that would explain a lot.” 

I smirked as I could feel Hina’s irritation continue to grow, “someth- someone like her could never be a Hunter,” she glared at the vampires in front of her. I just shrugged with amusement as they looked to me, confused. 

“You heard it firsthand ladies, I’m not a Hunter, she’s just my babysitter,” I said, pointing at Hina who shot me a glare. “A very disagreeable babysitter at that." 

"Right..." They all sweat-dropped. 

"Hanabusa, come with us," a blonde man addressed Hanabusa. A girl with curly blonde hair, wearing a pink dress stood by the man. 

"Certainly father," Hanabusa sighed under his breath before joining his father and what I assumed was his sister. Akatsuki and Ruka wandered away, further into the crowd of people.

Hanabusa's father stood before Kaname, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, "Kaname-sama," he bowed, "thank you for putting up with my son." 

"No, thank you for inviting me tonight, Aidou-san," Kaname said politely, "I'm not very comfortable at soirees to I rarely attend them." 

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, "if I could impose on you I have something I would like to request of you," he looked to his daughter, "Tsukiko."

The blonde girl stepped foward, "Father no!" Hanabusa tried to intervene. 

"I'd like to introduce you to my daughter Tsukiko, she is a lovely girl and it is the hope of our entire clan that you will take a liking to her, Kaname-sama," Hanabusa's father smirked. 

"Father, please!" Hanabusa panicked, "I'm sorry Kaname-sama, this is not what I wish-" 

"I do not know what will happen in the future but I will remember her," Kaname interjected. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart, 'I know he is just trying to please them but I can't help but feel... what is this feeling? Am I... jealous?'

"Kaname-sama! Please come and meet my daughter!" a man yelled from across the ballroom. 

"No, meet my daughter," another lady said. Kaname was swamped by greedy people, advertising their daughter in an attempt to take advantage of Kaname's power. I continued to watch him getting harrassed until he lifted his gaze to meet mine. My eyes widened, a small blush erupting over my face as he smirked slightly. 

“Damn him...” I muttered under my breath before returning to my calm demeanour. I shook my head, "he'll be stuck there for a while." I glanced upwards to take my mind off of the party guests when something caught my eye. Crouching behind the railing, on the second level was Yuki. She wore a beige overcoat and she looked to be staring at Kaname. "Just what is she doing here?" I mumbled to myself. Yuki turned around and headed down a corridor and out of sight. I directed my attention on the ballroom again, letting out a soft sigh. This is going to be a long night.

\- - - - - Timeskip to Next Day - - - - - 

I let out a long yawn as my hair swayed in the breeze. I was perched on a tree by the Sun Dormitories as I watched the sun set, dyeing the sky a beautiful peach colour. The academy was fairly quiet for once, it was a holiday and most of the students had returned to visit their families. I reclined back against the tree and closed my eyes, I finally had the chance to sleep in peace. 

However a few minutes later I heard soft footsteps heading towards the Sun Dormitories. I opened my right eye, peering down below the trees to see Hanabusa strolling through the academy, he wore a cream vest over a dark grey shirt. "Why can I never get any peace and quiet around here?" I grumbled under my breath. I stood on the branch, stretching my limbs as Hanabusa walked directly underneath the tree. "Oi, Ha-na-bu-sa," I called out to him. He whipped his head up to see me, standing halfway up a tree.

"Hello Suzuki-san~" he smiled, "what are you doing in that tree?" 

"Admiring the view, I can see pretty much everything from up this tree," I said, glancing back to the setting sun over the academy. I looked back down to Hanabusa with a smirk, "oh dear, from here I can see it! It appears you're balding," I chuckled. 

"What!?" He rubbed his hands through his hair frantically, "no! I can't bald yet, at least another thousand years..." he whined whilst clutching his head dramatically. 

"Just kidding," I smiled as he let out a relieved sigh. 

"You're so mean Suzuki-san~" 

"I try~" I jumped down from the tree to stand beside Hanabusa. 

He sweat-dropped, "are most human so adept at jumping from high places?" I shrugged, "anyway aren't you going to tell me to go back to the Moon Dorms?" 

"Why would I do that? It's not like there are many people around and I don't really care what you do." He sweat-dropped again, "as it is, I'm kind of hiding from someone myself." 

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, "and who would that be?" he started walking again and I trailed behind, hands resting in my jacket pockets. 

"Hina, she's still supposed to be supervising me or something," I informed him. 

"Hina?" 

"Takagawa-sensei," I corrected myself. He nodded as we approached the boy's dorm. "So why exactly have you decided to come here?" 

"To see Kiryuu Zero," he answered. We both stopped as we noticed Yuki being reprimanded by a Day Class girl with brown hair and pale green eyes. Yuki was also not in her uniform, wearing a black long-sleeved top and a green skirt.

"Even if you're in the Disciplinary Committee, you should not visit the boy's dorm so casually," the girl said. Hanabusa started walking again and tried to sneak past the two girls to the door of the boy's dorm. Yuki waved her hands around frantically, "either way, I know that this cannot be proper-" the girl stopped mid sentence, stunned as she observed Hanabusa about to open the door to the dorm. 

"Huh?" Yuki turned around, "Hanabusa-senpai!" She swiftly approached him, "you can try to sneak in during the holidays but there not going to be many people around besides, this is the boy's dorm, what do you want?" 

"I don't care what you say, or how this my look, I'm not here to see Zer-" Hanabusa panicked. 

"Hanabusa-senpai, what are you doing here!?" the girl from earlier knocked Yuki down and stood before Hanabusa. "The Sun and Moon dorms are set up so that student cannot go between them." 

"Sorry," Hanabusa smiled, easily regaining composure, "I ran away from my dorm, just pretend that you didn't see me," he raised his finger up to his lips. 

"Oh alright then," the girl said cheerfully whilst Yuki stared up at the pair in shock, her mouth gaping open. "But if I were part of the Disciplinary Committee I would punish you," the girl finished before running off. 

The door to the boy's dorm opened to reveal Zero in causal wear, "Hanabusa-senpai, in case you have forgotten, the Night Class is not supposed to enter the grounds of the Sun Dormitories," he informed Hanabusa. "And what are you doing here, Suzuki-san?" 

I shrugged nonchalantly, "I saw Hanabusa talking a stroll and since I had nothing better to do, I thought I'd join him." 

Yuki sweat-dropped, "anyway Hanabusa-senpai, please return to the Moon Dorms." 

"But, I don't want to be there..." He started, "so I am not going to go back!" He turned his head away objectionably. 

"Yuki, go get a rope, we'll drag him back," Zero said, arms crossed. 

"You'll have to catch me first~" Hanabusa sang before skipping away with Zero hot on his heels. I chuckled in amusement while Yuki let out a sigh. 

"This is going to be a long night," Yuki said as she watched Zero chase Hanabusa. 

The sun had finally set and we were all gathered in Headmaster's house. Hanabusa sat on the couch, his arms and legs crossed whilst Zero sat on the floor, panting. "Don't waste my time, with your stupid games," Zero said between breaths. 

"You realise this could all have been avoided if you had just helped me out from the start," Hanabusa stated. 

"Alright, I hope the Headmaster's quarters will be okay with you," Yuki tried to diffuse the situation. 

"Aren't you accomodating..." I muttered under my breath. 

"Or maybe you would prefer Zero's room in the Sun Dorm," Yuki said, raising a finger to her chin in thought. 

"Never!" Hanabusa and Zero yelled simultaneously. 

"Hanabusa-senpai, did something happen to make you want to run away?" Yuki inquired. 

"You know I'm hungry," Hanabusa looked to Yuki, ignoring her question. Yuki hid behind the door at the mention of hunger. "Seriously, what are you afraid of? Just cook me something, anything," he demanded. "And I'm going to need a soft bed to sleep in during the day and the linen must be lavender scented," Hanabusa continued while Yuki held Zero back from attacking Hanabusa. 

I let out a sigh," Yuki was right, this is going to be a long night." Once Zero calmed down Yuki, Zero and I headed into the kitchen to cook dinner. 

'What shall we make?" Yuki pondered. 

"I don't particularly care, but maybe we should poison his food," Zero suggested. 

Yuki sweat-dropped, "what do you think Mirei-san?" 

"Me?" I let out a hum as I thought, "a pasta dish maybe?" 

"Sure! Let's make Carbonara," Yuki said joyfully. After a while the Carbonara was and we were washing up. We sent Yuki out to collect Hanabusa's plate while Zero and I finished washing up. Zero was washing dishes and utensils while I dried, it was silent apart from the clanging of dishes. 

"You never answered me that time," Zero said without looking up. 

"That time?" I thought for a moment before letting out a sigh, "what does it matter what I am, vampire, hunter, human, in the end they're all just as cruel and despicable as each other." 

Zero opened his mouth to say something but Yuki walked into the kitchen carrying four empty plates. "He said he wants more," Yuki sighed as she placed the plates onto the centre island. 

"What? I cooked enough for four and he says he wants more?" Zero whined. 

"That bastard, I was really looking forward to that Carbonara," I grumbled. 

"Yeah but he looked kind of depressed," Yuki said. 

"So he's stressed out?" Zero mumbled to himself, "he doesn't seem like the sensitive type." Zero reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box of blood tablets, "here, give him these," he said before throwing them to Yuki. "I'll cook up some more food. Do you want anything in particular?" 

"I guess, so ramen," Yuki requested. I noticed she became lost in her thoughts, a sullen look adorning her face. 

"I'll come with you Yuki," I slung an arm around her shoulder and lead her out of the kitchen and into the dining room. When we entered Hanabusa was gazing at a blue marble which he held between two fingers. 

He snapped out of his daze as Yuki and I approached the table, "where's my food!?" 

"There's more coming!" Yuki slammed the blood tablets onto the table. "Zero said to give you these blood tablets for now." 

"So this time you better not eat my portion as well," I glared at Hanabusa. 

Hanabusa slid open the box of blood tablets, "these are Zero's right?" 

"N-No! They're not!" Yuki denied frantically. 

Hanabusa smirked with his arms crossed, "oh don't panic, after all I am a genius so of course I would figure it out," he boasted. 

“Careful, you’re head might explode,” I remarked. And it doesn't take a genius to figure that out," I said as Hanabusa shot me a glare. 

"And besides, Zero knows that I know as well. Although he doesn't mention it, Kaname-sama knows too," Hanabusa finished. "Unfortunately I have no idea what Kaname-sama is thinking," Hanabusa. looked away. I left to stand by the window, still listening as I gazed out over the academy. "I have never understood why he gives an ordinary girl like you special treatment and dare sour relations with the Senate." 

"He doesn't give me special treatment..." Yuki said quietly. 

"If you had really meant what you just said, I'd kill you," Hanabusa spat. I sensed Zero standing by the door, eavesdropping. 

Yuki appeared taken aback but let out a sigh, "in what I can remember from my earliest memories, there are two vampires. The freighting vampire who tried to devour me and a freighting but kind vampire, who killed the other to save me. I adore the kind vampire, Kaname-sama, I owe my life to him but I think our relationship is a simple one not a special one." 

"Simple huh?" Hanabusa muttered. "Do you trust him no matter what happens?" 

"Sometimes I have my doubts but, in the end I really do trust him," she told him openly. "Even if he were to betray me, I'd be alright with it." I continued staring out the window, 'she really is naïve sometimes. Although I do not think Kaname would betray her.' 

"Dinner is ready, again..." Zero grumbled as he rounded the corner with four bowls of ramen and set them on the table. 

"Thank you Zero," Yuki said as she took a seat opposite Hanabusa. Zero and I also took out seats at the table and began eating our ramen. "So good~" Yuki cooed 

"Who knew Zero could cook?" I muttered before eating another mouthful of noodles. 

"What's that supposed to mea-" Zero was cut off as the door to the dinning room was slammed open to reveal a panting Hina. 

"I-I finally f-found you," she said between breaths. "I thought I told you last night to meet me outside the girl's Sun Dormitories!?" she spat.

"Oops, it appears as though it had slipped my mind," I lied with a smirk. 

"Tsk, whatever, just don't cause me any more problems I only have to supervise you for one more day," she huffed as she took a seat on the couch. 

"Fine, but I'm not making you any food," I said digging into my ramen. 

"I wouldn't eat something made by you anyway," she turned away from me, adjusted her glasses and crossed her arms. 

I turned back to the others, "she's such a tsundere~" 

"Who's a what!?" She seethed, "I looked everywhere for you and now you're-" she took a deep breath before returning her gaze to the floor. We finished eating our food and Yuki and Zero took the empty dishes to the kitchen. Hanabusa was staring intently at his blue marble again. 

"I didn't realise you were that into marbles, or maybe you're just really into your own reflection?" I snickered as he placed the marble on the table. 

"This is... something that Kaname-sama gave to me so..." he sighed before locking eyes with me. “Anyway, I’ve been meaning to ask, what is you relationship with Kaname-sama?”

 

"Our relationship..." I thought aloud, "well I do enjoy irritating him, but he has helped me out a few times I guess... we don't have much of an important relationship. Is that the answer for which you were looking?" I answered although I was unsure myself. I remembered how he held me a few nights prior and could not help the blush that coloured my usually pale cheeks.

 

Hanabusa growled slightly under his breath, annoyed by my expression. "You know... I saw you enter Kaname's room through the window the other night," Hanabusa said, staring directly at me. "I cannot understand what Kaname-sama is thinking, first Yuki and now you? Why is he so attached to some human girls?"

I looked away and whispered under my breath, “I wish I knew...”

”Also there is something else I want to ask you,” he continued still in a serious tone. I nodded for him to continue, “just who or what are you?” 

My my eyes widened slightly, “who could say? Would you settle for pretty fucking awesome?” I asked smiling. 

I saw anger flash flash across his face briefly, “I would appreciate a straight forward answer for once.” 

“That’s not really my specialty... Hina here is pretty good with that stuff why not ask her? Although if you piss her off, I cannot guarantee that you will come out of it with all your appendages still attached,” I smiled innocently. “She is a Hunter after all.” 

“Why do you call her Hina?” Hanabusa asked as Hina and I tensed up. 

“It’s short for Hinami, her name,” I responded honestly. 

“That’s strange, I thought you two didn’t get along, she certainly appears hostile towards you,” he said, gesturing towards Hina who was glaring at me. 

I paused a second, “I just call her that to piss her off,” 

“Is that so? What about you?” he nodded to Hina, “why do you hate Suzuki-san so much?” 

I was quickly becoming irritated by Hanabusa’s intrusive questioning, “it’s none of your b-“ 

“There is no way I could be friends with a monster like her,” Hina spat, venom lacing her voice as she stood up.

I abruptly shot up from my position, the chair scraping against the ground, “just what exactly did I do to you that could warrant being called a monster!?” I yelled, losing my temper. Hanabusa watched us in shock, he had not anticipated that the conversation would escalate so much. 

“Don’t you dare act so innocent! You have no right!” Hina yelled, her hands balled into tight fists. My breathing started to quicken as I struggled to keep my anger under control. 

“Hey why don’t we just calm down and-“ Hanabusa was cut off by Hina yelling. 

“You ruined everything! My whole life! If it weren’t for what you did that night, they’d... they would still be alive!” She screamed, tears began pouring down her face. 

“Who would still be alive!?” I questioned. 

It went silent for a moment, nothing could be heard but the heavy breathing of Hina and I. Hanabusa looked unsure as to if he should intervene. “My parents...” she whispered. 

“What?” I asked, surprised. I did not remember killing her parents or even meeting them. 

“My parents!” She shouted this time, “it’s your fault... she choked on a sob, “you killed my parents...” she whispered while I stared at her wide eyes, my mouth slightly agape. 

“How?...” I blinked, trying to process this new information. 

“I wouldn’t except someone like you to understand,” she spat, “someone so vile that they could murder their own mother,” she glared at me. I felt the hatred radiating off her in waves, ‘am I really this despicable?’ It felt like someone was squeezing my heart and my body felt heavy as lead.

“You... you monster,” she seethed. I tilted my head forward to glare at the floor, a silent tear slipping down my cheek. Hanabusa was staring wide eyed at me, frozen in position. I had let some of my presence as a vampire slip through as I drowned in anguish. “I was covered in your mother’s blood when I ran through the forest, to my home. I still remember the smell of the smoke wafting from the chimney,” she chuckled humorlessly. “But the smell of the blood has attracted a Level E, it followed me home and murdered my family right before my eyes,” she continued, a mixture of sorrow and anger flashed across her tear stained face. 

“I,” she drew in a shaky breath, “I was helpless back then, I couldn’t do a thing to save them, I couldn’t even save myself. I was saved by Yagiri-sensei and he took me to the Hunter association. Since then I have dedicated myself to becoming a Hunter, someone strong.” She glared at her feet, “do you understand now? It’s your fault, in a way, you killed my parents.” She lifted her head to glare at me. 

It it felt like someone had stabbed me in the chest, I-I didn’t mean to... I was trying to save you, if I hadn’t killed my mother then you wouldn’t even be standing here,” I argued, another tear slipped down my face. ‘How is it that I always manage to ruin everything around me?’ 

“I may not have been here but, they would be alive! You took them from me!” she sobbed, slamming her fist down onto the arm of the sofa, her bangs cast a shadow over her face as she glared at the ground once again.

“I... I just wanted for you to live... Please understand that I-“ I was cut off by Hina. 

“No! You’re the one who doesn’t understand, it has to be your fault! It had to be!” she yelled breathlessly, her hair now disheveled. “Because...” she started, quieter, “because if it’s not your fault then... the one who killed my parents was me...” she lifted her head, tears slipping from her eyes, “and I don’t know if I could live with myself,” her voice cracked as another sob wracked her body, her legs becoming wobbly as she fell to her knees. 

I stared dumbfounded at the girl sobbing before me, she looked so fragil, as if she were made of glass. Images of the little girl I once knew flashed through my head, her smiles always filled me with happiness even in times of despair and hopelessness. 

I let out a soft sigh, my features softening. I slowly approached her until I was standing in front of her. I shakily reached out my hand, placing it gently on the top of head. 

“You’re wrong...” I whispered, “it’s not your fault and you’re strong, you always have been, so... if you are going to blame someone, blame me for all of it,” I felt her shift beneath my hand, her honey-coloured eyes stared up at me, stunned. “Please just... don’t hate yourself.” 

We we stared at each other haha in silence. For a moment I saw the old Hina, the one who would smile warmly at me, bring me gifts and reassure me. 

“I-I” she croaked out, “I need to leave,” she batted my hand away, stood up abruptly and ran out the open door. I continued staring at the spot where Hina w had been mere seconds previously. My head was beginning to swim with thoughts and emotions, I clenched my fists tightly by my sides. Memories I wished I had forgotten began to surface as I bit down on my lip, easily drawing blood with my fangs. 

“Y-You’re also a vampire?” I turned my head to see Hanabusa staring at me, like a deer in the headlights. I glanced over to the window, it was littered in cracks differing in size, branching out like a spiderweb. “Suzuki-san?” Hanabusa called, a little calmer. 

I frowned before looking back to Hanabusa, my eyes glowing a vibrant crimson, “yes, I am a vampire.”


	21. chapter 21

Mirei's POV

”Yes, I am a vampire,” I chuckled darkly, my red eyes narrowing, “what gave it away?” I asked sarcastically. 

”But to disguise yourself so well, you would have to be very powerful,” Hanabusa said, clutching the table with his right hand, “you would at least have to be an Aristocrat.” 

I smirked, displaying my sharp fangs, “something like that~”

He took a second to process this new information, ”I... I have to tell Kaname-sama,” Hanabusa decided. 

“I wouldn’t bother, Kaname already knows,” I said. 

“Kaname-sama knows?” he shifted his gaze downward, “why won’t he ever tell me what he’s thinking?” he mumbled frustratedly to himself.

”If it makes you feel any better, I have no idea what he’s thinking either,” I shrugged. 

A moment of silence passed, “so why were you hiding your true self?” 

“Why not? I had been quite bored before I came here and I had heard of Cross Academy, the school where vampires and humans coexist. Honestly I thought it sounded entertaining,” I smiled wryly. 

“So... you don’t intend to interfere with Kaname-sama’s plans?” Hanabusa asked, confused. 

“Nope, at least not on purpose,” I responded. 

A silence settled around us once again, I went to leave but Hanabusa spoke up, “Suzuki-san... what was she talking about? That teacher... you said she was your childhood friend.” 

I sat on the armrest of the couch, “her name is Hinami and we were friends when we were children, however my mother was not fond of humans,” I directed my gaze to the floor. “One night my mother attacked her, she intended to kill her...” 

“But she didn’t? How did you- I mean did you...” Hanabusa trailed off, not knowing how to say it. 

“Are you asking if I killed my mother?” I cracked a sad smile, “well I think that’s enough for tonight.” I stood from the armrest. “I’ll have to ask you to keep my identity a secret,” I smiled however my eyes held a more serious threat. 

“And if I don’t?” Hanabusa tested. 

“If you don’t... well I guess we’ll find out which of us is stronger,” I dropped my smile, “and I can tell you now, I'll win.” 

He narrowed his eyes at the threat, “what makes you so confident?” 

I shrugged, returning to my nonchalant demeanour, “you’re welcome to test it.”

”I’ll pass on that,” he also stood. “I think it’s time that I had a bath.” He made his way over to the door before pausing, “no matter how powerful you may be, I will not allow you to stand in Kaname-sama’s way.” He left me in the room alone. 

I huffed, a smile adorning my face, “is that so... Kaname is lucky to have someone like you.” I let out a huff, plopping myself down onto the couch. It had been a long night and I was exhausted.

I laid back, closing my eyes I was left alone with my thoughts. Memories of Hina and I, playing in the forest as children flashed through my mind. ‘Why did it have to turn out this way?’ I thought, clenching my fists. I found myself yearning to be held by Kaname again. The thought of his strong arms and soothing voice were so comforting. ‘I can’t always rely on Kaname, 'I have to become stronger.’ But I could not deny the desire I felt to breathe in his familiar scent and to be brought into his soft embrace. I shook my head, I cannot keep on relying on Kaname, I'm stronger than this. 

                                                              - - - - - Timeskip - - - - - 

Light filtered through the cream-coloured curtains of the living room. I groaned, sitting up from the couch on which I had fallen asleep. I was going to regret that later. My back let out a satisfying crack as I stretched. "Human bodies are so fragile," I muttered as I stood from the couch. I sighed, there was but one day left of holidays, the ticking clock on the wall reminding me that I had been asleep for several hours. "Maybe I should head into town..."

I made up my mind, stopping by my room to have a shower and get changed before setting off towards the town.

I adjusted my blue scarf while strolling leisurely through town. It was busy today, being a holiday. Many people wandered about the town, shops displayed an assortment of clothes, food and trinkets. I gazed at the stores with vague interest, nothing had really caught my eye yet. 

I decided to head for a restaurant in the centre of town. A bell chimed as I opened the door, a middle-aged man smiled at me from behind the counter. There were a few Day Class students in the cafe, although they were in casual clothes. I walked to the counter, loosening the scarf around my neck. 

"What can I do for you young lady?" the man beamed. 

"Hmm..." my eyes darted up to the menu. "I'll have one gyuudon please." 

"Certainly," he turned around to face the kitchen. "One gyuudon!" I heard a faint reply from within the kitchen before the man returned his attention to me. I handed the appropriate amount of money and found an empty booth at the back of the restaurant, away from the chatting girls. 

I gazed vacantly out the window, lost in my own thoughts. I managed to drown out the chattering and distant sizzling of food from the kitchen, finding peace for a short while. 

"Here you go," the man who served me earlier jolted me out of my thoughts. He placed the gyuudon on the table in front of me. I gave him a polite smile before he returned to the counter. I grabbed the disposable chopsticks which had been supplied with the meal, breaking them apart. Before digging into my steaming bowl of beef and rice something out the window caught my attention. I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be shadow peering around the corner of an alley across from the restaurant. But as soon as I noticed it, it was gone. I shrugged it off, not giving it too much thought.

After half an hour or so I left the restaurant, giving the man a wave as I exited the store. The sun still shone brightly and there were many people bustling about. Parents dragged their children, business men walked by briskly and students crowded around popular stores.

I wandered fairly aimlessly through the streets, occasionally stopping to admire a particular item. Eventually found a store which was for the most part quiet. Its shelves were lined with various artifacts, jewelry and fabrics. In the front of the store, by the counter, a glass cabinet stood, filled with glimmering crystals and gems. 

A thin woman sat behind the counter, her withered frame was hunched over knitting what I assumed was an article of clothing. Her graying hair was fuzzy and stood out at various angles. 

I made my way to the cabinet, admiring the gems. A particular necklace caught my eye. It was a simple gold chain with a small, round lapis lazuli attached to the end. The dark blue gem shimmers like dozens of twinkling stars. I pressed my hand against the glass subconsciously, trying to imagine what it would look like on me. 

“Do you like it?” came a raspy but kind voice. I turned my attention to the frail lady. “It’s one of my favourites, my daughter gave it to me after her husband passed away. It was originally a gift he had given her but she decided she didn’t want to be reminded of him.” I nodded in understanding, “apparently it’s for healing and helps its owner to see the truth. If you believe in that stuff.” 

“I can’t say I do but, it is very beautiful,” I admitted. “But I couldn’t buy something so important.” 

“Nonsense,” the woman exclaimed, “such a necklace deserves to be worn by a beautiful young lady such as yourself. I have no use for it, neither does my daughter.” 

“Well if you’re certain...” I said, unsure.

”I’m certain,” she responded without skipping a beat. At that point, I knew resistance was futile. The woman reached a shaking hand into her pocket and produced a key. ‘For such a frail woman, she sure is head-strong.’ She handed me the key which I used to open the cabinet. “If I may ask, what’s your name?” 

“My name? It’s Suzuki Mirei,” I told her, reaching into the cabinet, carefully retrieving the necklace. 

“Mirei-san... that’s a pretty name, well it’s a pleasure to meet you Mirei-san,” she said as I returned the key to her. 

“Likewise,” I smiled. I enjoyed the feeling of the cold metal on my hand. “How much?” 

“Hmm... usually I’d say around $200 but, I like you so I’ll give you a discount. It’s the owner’s privilege,” she chuckled . “So I’ll charge you $80.” 

“Thank you very much,” I said, reaching into my purse which I kept in a pocket inside my jacket. I placed a few notes on the counter which she took shakily. 

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” the lady smiled, “I don’t get as many customers as I used to.” 

“That’s a shame, this store is so nice.” I said, gazing at the miscellaneous items which decorated the store. “Well, I should be going, thanks again.” I returned my purse and the necklace to one of my many jacket pockets. 

“No problem, do come again,” the lady added. I exited the store feeling a little lighter than before. I returned to window shopping, strolling through the cobblestone streets. Eventually the streets became more narrow as I veered off the main path. There were less people down here, the shop fronts turned into small cottages adorned with flower beds. As I wandered about, I noticed someone was following me. I picked up my pace a little, as did my pursuer. 

I unzipped my jacket to allow easier access to my daggers. I finally reached an open area, benches were scattered around a large tree in the middle of the cobbled path. I stopped, I could sense another person around the next corner. 

I exhaled slowly, "well you might as well come out," I said aloud. A tall man skulked out of the shadows, his figure cloaked by a large trench coat. His brown straw-like hair covered his eyes. 'Definitely a Level E.' I smirked, "oh is it just you? Is your friend shy?" The Level E flinched, his partner walking out into the sunlight behind me. The Level E snarled at me, his fingernails lengthening. 

"Edgar," a young voice said, I looked behind me to see a short girl wearing a purple dress. She appeared no older than fourteen. But then again she is a vampire. The Level E calmed down immediately, his fingernails returning to normal. 'Only a Pureblood can control a Level E, I should be cautious of this girl.' The short female had dark red hair, tied into pigtails. Her eyes were a dark green and were narrowed in determination. "Who are you?" 

"I could ask you the same, shorty," I now faced the girl although I flicked a glance towards the Level E occasionally. 

The girl gritted her teeth in frustration, "Shorty?" I heard her mumbled, "I asked you first." I did not answer much to her annoyance, "I've been watching you-" 

"Creepy," I interrupted. 

"I've been watching you," she tried again, "you're a vampire. And a Pureblood." She watched me intently probably waiting for me to make a run for it. 

I only shrugged, "what of it? It takes one to know one," I remarked. 

"You don't deny it?" she peered at me curiously. 

"What is there to deny? It's not like I could hide it. Besides, I'm more interested in why you're so concerned with me," I told her truthfully.

"You see, I work for the Senate," at the mention of the Senate I placed a hand inside my jacket, hovering over one of my daggers. "My job is to track down threats and if I think it necessary, to exterminate them." 

"Oh? And do you consider me a threat in need of extermination?" I glared icily at her. I sensed the Level E move behind me. "Because if not, I would appreciate you calling off your little pet." 

"Hmm..." she seemed to consider it, "I would but, it's been a while since I had a good fight. Besides, the Senate will pay me more if bring back a Pureblood's ashes," she smiled sadistically. 

"A little cocky aren't we?" I gripped my dagger tightly within my jacket. "Oh well, I'll just have to wipe that grin off your face," I smirked. We both stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. The Level E abruptly leaped towards me but I easily dodged, teleporting several metres away. I pulled out my dagger Yoake and threw it at the Level E with incredible speed. His eyes widened as the daggers darted towards his head. However, the dagger did not pierce him, metal clashed against metal as the girl blocked it with a sword. 

I clicked my tongue, "you know, you never did tell me your name." I said as I threw out my hand, summoning my dagger back to my hand. She jumped towards me with ferocity, her eyes wide and crazed. 

I blocked her attack with my dagger as her sword came inches away from my face. "What does a name matter to a dead person?" she chuckled. 

I knocked her away, my eyes turning red to match hers. "I think I should at least know the name of my supposed killer, don't you?" She ran towards me again, drawing her sword back. "Fine!" she plunged the sword downwards to where my face would have been if I had not dodged. The sword instead hit the wall, leaving a gaping hole. She dislodged her sword, "my name is Sakie." 

Suddenly a chunk of the wall beside me began levitating, "oh spicing things up are we?" I smirked as the clump of concrete and bricks came hurtling towards me. As it reached me I jumped into the air, gracefully doing a flip, landing on the levitating boulder and using it to vault myself onto the nearest roof. She glared at me raising her arm, sharp objects akin to nails formed in the air. She thrashed her arm out and the nails shot through the air, hurtling towards me. I sprinted along the side of the roof, nails following shortly after. As I reached the end of the roof I jumped into the air, wincing slightly as one of the nails skimmed my arm. 

I landed back on the ground effortlessly. The Level E came back to attack me, with his nails extended he thrashed at me mindlessly. I blocked his attacks with my daggers, occasionally having to duck out of the way of incoming chunks of buildings. 'This is going to be hard to explain.' I finally got fed up of just defending and decided to attack, slicing forwards with my dagger I managed to slash his eye. He let out a screech of pain before jumping further down the street. 

I did not give him the chance to recover before throwing both my daggers at him, this time I did not miss. One lodged it self deep into his skull, instantly turning him to dust. The other lodged itself into the wall behind him. That is when I heard a high-pitched scream, as the Level E's body eroded away another person came into view. "Spider-lashes!?" I yelled, shocked. The said girl had dropped her various shopping bags and was gaping at the scene before her. It was now that I noticed the other dagger had lodged itself a few centimetres away from her head, cutting off a chunk of her blonde hair. She glanced between me, Sakie and the now pile of ashes, white as a sheet. 

"Edgar!" Sakie's cries brought me back to the fight. "How could you!" she yelled, angered. 

"Oops?" I shrugged as I picked up the dagger from his ashes, dusting it off. "You want what's left?" I gestured to the ashes with my dagger. She only glared at me, "well I offered." 

"You'll pay for this I'll-" 

"Ah-ah," I waved my index finger as if scolding a child. "You've had your fun, now it's my turn," I smirked, clapping my hands together. Instantly my shadow morphed into hands which reached out and wrapped themselves around her small form. She let out a squeak as she was raised off the ground, the shadows forming a black net reminiscent of a spider-web. Still trapped, she struggled against the shadows. "I wouldn't bother," I said, smirking as I approached her. Fear flashed briefly through her eyes before it was replaced with rage. "Honestly, I'm disappointed. I thought you'd put up more of a fight." She only glared at me as I sighed. "Tell me one thing though, how did you find me?" 

"I heard that some suspicious activity was happening concerning Cross Academy. So when I was investigating I went through the old records and found a document about a certain Pureblood which was born in secrecy," she hissed, still struggling against the binds. "You." 

"...Is that so?" I muttered. "Well no matter, now what should I do with you?" I pondered aloud. Suddenly the shadows binding her broke apart, torn to shreds, they fell to the floor before disappearing. Sakie jumped onto the roof, bleeding in various places. "Maybe I underestimated you slightly," I said as she panted, obviously having to summon a lot of power to break my shadows. She shot me one last glare before sprinting across the roof to make her escape. 

I considered chasing after her but decided she could wait until a later date. Letting my eyes return to their normal blue, I slipped Yoake back into my jacket, glancing around for Yuugure. 

"Where the hell is- oh right," I interrupted myself as I saw the dagger which was lodged in the wall. Underneath it was a now passed out Spider-lashes. I sighed, "well this has been an eventful afternoon. Although I don't mind a fight every now and then." I approached the wall, yanking out Yuugure as I stood above Spider-lashes. 'I guess I'll have to erase her memory.' I leaned down, reaching out for her forehead to erase her memories of the day’s events. 

"Mirei-san!?" a familiar voice yelled from further down the street. "What are you doing!?" I turned my head to see Yuki with a panicked expression, Zero beside her even seem a little startled. I tilted my head in confusion before looking down again and realising I was still holding my dagger, standing above Spider-lashes. To any onlookers I probably looked like a murderer.

"Umm.... this isn't what it looks like," I said feebly.

**Author's Note:**

> this is not mine it belongs to some one els but I do have consent to post it here


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